Dengue kills 3 more patients in a day in Bangladesh, all in Dhaka South

The death toll from the mosquito-borne disease so far this year rises to 32

Hospitals in Bangladesh recorded three deaths from dengue fever in the latest daily count, taking the toll so far this year to 32.

All of them were residents of areas under Dhaka South City Corporation.

The number of dengue patients hospitalised since Jan 1 increased to 2,545 with 21 new cases in the 24 hours to Wednesday morning, according to the Directorate General of Health Services.

The new patients include 12 admitted to hospitals in Dhaka, three in Chattogram, five in Barishal and one in Khulna.

As many as 136 patients were undergoing treatment for dengue in hospitals across the country. They include 64 in Dhaka.

In 2023, Bangladesh recorded 321,179 hospitalisations and 1,705 deaths from the viral disease and the outbreak has continued this year.

Rising temperatures, along with a lack of effective measures to kill the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the known carrier of the virus, are seen as the reasons behind the deadliest outbreak last year.

Experts say dengue may affect Bangladesh throughout the year from now on, not just in monsoon, if the authorities do not move to prevent the disease.