Bangladesh sees 143 people hospitalised for dengue fever, the most in a day in 2021

On a day when daily COVID-19 deaths hit a record peak, Bangladesh has reached another grim milestone as 143 people were hospitalised for the mosquito-borne dengue fever in the past 24 hours, the most in a single day this year.

Tuesday's tally has pushed the total number of hospitalisations close to 2,000 in 2021. Another 123 patients were hospitalised with the dengue virus a day earlier.

The prevalence of the viral infection transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes has come to the fore since the onset of monsoon, adding salt to Bangladesh's crippling coronavirus pandemic-inflicted wound.

This year's dengue caseload of 1,945 has already surpassed the 2020 tally with four days left to the end of July.

To tackle the growing threat of the vector, the government has decided to designate separate hospitals for the treatment of dengue patients amid a worsening coronavirus pandemic.

The local government ministry has announced an initiative to exterminate the Aedes mosquito larvae near the homes of hospitalised patients.

Currently, as many as 500 dengue patients are in hospital care in Dhaka, while the number elsewhere is nine.

July saw the highest the number of dengue cases this year, with 1,573 people contracting the infection.

Three people have died of dengue so far in 2021, according to the health directorate's data. However, the IEDCR has yet to confirm that dengue was the cause of the deaths.

After the emergence of the disease in 2000, Bangladesh recorded the highest number of dengue cases during an outbreak in 2019.

More than 100,000 people were infected and nearly 175 of them died in the year, according to government data.

Experts believe the real figure was much higher because many people did not undergo tests.

In 2020, a total of 1,405 dengue patients were hospitalised, and 12 of them died.