Bangladesh reports four more dengue deaths as fatalities cross 250 this year

Another 814 dengue patients have been hospitalised across the country

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Another four patients have died of dengue fever in Bangladesh over the past 24 hours, pushing the nationwide death toll this year to 251.

The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) bulletin released on Tuesday said the latest victims included three women and one man.

They all died in different hospitals -- Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Mugda Medical College Hospital, Holy Family Red Crescent Hospital, and Galachipa Upazila Health Complex in Patuakhali.

In the same period, 814 new dengue patients were admitted to hospitals, taking the total number of hospitalisations in 2024 to 61,605.

September saw the highest spike, with 15,866 admissions and 76 deaths. Between Oct 1 and Oct 21, hospitals admitted 14,363 patients, while 55 deaths were recorded.

Earlier, July logged 10,684 hospitalisations and 41 deaths, followed by August with 10,496 cases and 39 deaths. Monthly figures this year also include 1,161 admissions in January, 374 in February, 336 in March, 701 in April, 1,773 in May, and 5,951 in June.

No dengue deaths were reported in March. In contrast, 10 people died in January, three in February, seven in April, three in May, 19 in June, 41 in July, and 39 in August.

The DGHS bulletin said that among the newly admitted patients, 277 were from Dhaka’s two city corporations. Outside the capital, the division-wise breakdown was: Dhaka 121, Mymensingh 46, Chattogram 114, Khulna 40, Rajshahi 40, Rangpur 41, Barishal 126, and Sylhet 5.

At the moment, 2,831 dengue patients are undergoing treatment in hospitals across the country -- 967 in Dhaka and 1,864 elsewhere.

Since recordkeeping began in 2000, 2023 remains Bangladesh’s deadliest dengue year, with 321,179 hospitalisations and 1,705 deaths.