Dengue menace: More patients hospitalised in August than in 19 years

Bangladesh has recorded more patients hospitalised for dengue in August this year than the combined number in the last 19 years.

According to the Directorate General of Health Services or DGHS, a total of 69,435 people have been hospitalised for the mosquito-borne disease with 50,974 hospital admissions in August alone.

And between 2000 and 2018, the government recorded a total of 50,148 dengue patients who underwent treatment at hospitals across the country.

As per the official count, hospitals throughout Bangladesh admitted a total of 58 dengue patients in April, rising to 193 in May and 1,884 in June.

The monthly hospitalisation rate jumped further in July to 16,253 and has more than tripled in the month of August.

Hospitals have admitted 1,025 patients, including 465 in Dhaka and 560 outside the capital, in the 24 hours to 8am on Friday -- the fewest in a month.

As many as 4,697 patients are currently undergoing treatment for the viral disease in hospitals, including 2,610 in the disease’s epicentre Dhaka and 2,087 in the rest of the country. 

The official death toll for the disease, confirmed by a review committee, stands at 52 this year.

But bdnews24.com tallied a total of 190 deaths, based on the reports of doctors and hospitals across Bangladesh.

According to the DGHS’ Health Emergency Operation Centre and Control Room, as many as 93 percent of patients hospitalised for dengue fever so far this year have been released after recovery.

Reports from hospitals across the country also indicate that the daily rate of hospitalisation for the disease is on the wane.