Dengue cases hit all-time high for a month in Bangladesh

The health department has recorded more than 5,500 dengue cases in July, the highest number for a month in the history of this mosquito-borne viral disease in Bangladesh.

This year it took an appalling turn with the change of signs and symptoms of the inflicted person. Doctors suggest not to neglect fever even after the recovery.

As on Monday, the Directorate General of Health Services has recorded 5, 637 cases in July only. Before this, the highest number in a month was last year in September - 3,087.

Prof Mahmudur Rahman, former director of the government’s disease monitoring arm IEDCR, and now an adviser to the ICDDR,B, said this year due to the change of dengue pattern, the hospitalisation rate is huge.

“That may be the reason we see the rise in numbers in government record."

He, however, suggests focusing on management and mosquito control, rather than counting numbers.

“Dengue is now widespread. So we need to focus on what should we do,” he said.

“The most important thing is to record the clinical presentation of the patients and create evidence of in how many days platelet count falls, what happens in the troponin level in heart and what happens in SGPT and creatinine,” he said as this year dengue affects different organs including brain, heart, liver, and kidney.

“We have to document those and record those. Then revise the treatment guideline and train the doctors. We need to do this in a very short time. From the management perspective, this is very important,” Prof Rahman said.

For mosquito control, he suggested mapping the areas which are affected.

“Not all parts of Dhaka are dengue-inflicted. We have to increase our efforts in those areas. We have to give it the top priority and all have to work together, rather than blaming each other,” he said, as he fears the rising trend of dengue cases may continue.

Usually the months of August and September are the peak period. But this year an early spike has been seen since May.

Dengue first struck Bangladesh in 2000, killing 93 people. Since 2003, the death rate has gradually declined with zero fatalities in some years.

But last year it took a devastating turn with over 10,000 infections and 26 deaths, according to the government statistics.

This year, according to the government control room, 7,766 people have been affected so far with only five deaths. Different hospitals put the death figure at over 20.

According to the WHO, the global incidence of dengue has grown dramatically in recent decades. About half of the world's population is now at risk.

Dengue mosquito, Aedes aegypti, breeds in clean water mostly in and around the houses.

Household flower vase, buckets, tyre, and tubes where water remains stored are the perfect place for the breeding of the dengue mosquito.