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Published : 23 Aug 2025, 01:55 AM
Hasan Al Mamun from Dhaka’s Mohammadpur brought his 4-year-old daughter to the Bangladesh Shishu Hospital and Institute after she developed a fever. His wife, who is also ill with fever, accompanied them.
Mamun said he initially took their daughter to Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College and Hospital, where doctors prescribed medicine. But the fever persisted.
“Now her leg hurts, she can’t stand properly,” he added. “They’ve told us she needs to be admitted. But my wife also has severe fever and they’ve advised hospitalisation for her too. I’m in a tough spot.
“It would be easier if both could be admitted to the same hospital.”
Fever and cold-related illnesses have surged across Bangladesh over the past two months.
Hospitals have been treating patients of all ages daily.
Data from the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) for July shows that influenza remains the most commonly detected illness this year.
Hospitals are also reporting a sharp increase in chikungunya cases. Dengue infections have surpassed last year’s figures, both in number of cases and deaths.
CHILDREN OVERWHELMING HOSPITALS
At the country’s largest paediatric facility, Shishu Hospital, 4,024 children were treated for cold and cough in June. The number jumped to 6,255 in July.
Outpatient visits in July were 9,367, of which 6,255, or 66.67 percent, suffered from fever and cold.
In the first 20 days of August, 2,229 children were treated, 1,921 of whom (86.18 percent) had cold or fever symptoms.
Doctors say many of the children are showing symptoms they have not seen before.
Sadikul Islam brought his 3-year-old child to the hospital from Badda.
"The fever’s been going on for seven days, fluctuating between 102 and 103 degrees. It goes down and then comes back. We showed a doctor at home and gave medicine, but the fever won’t break. The child has stopped eating, so we came here,” he told bdnews24.com.
Masudur Rahman travelled from Kathgora in Ashulia with his son, who has been running a fever for over a week.
“No medicine works. That’s why I brought him to the doctor. They’ve given some tests and medicine,” he said.
Mahmudul Hoque Chowdhury, a resident medical officer at the hospital’s emergency unit, said a large number of children have been coming in with fever for the past month.
“They’re not showing typical fever symptoms,” he added. “It’s high fever, they can’t stand or walk. Some have spinal pain, stomach pain, vomiting -- symptoms that resemble dengue or chikungunya.
“But when we do NS1, IgG or IgM tests for dengue, results come back negative. CBC tests show leukopenia, neutropenia, low platelet count. Parents are bringing them in carrying them in their arms.”
According to the doctor, there may be a new type of dengue or possibly a new virus in circulation, although confirmation would require lab testing. For now, they are treating the cases as dengue.
He added that, over the past six weeks, both outpatient and inpatient numbers have doubled compared with usual.
OTHER HOSPITALS SEE SIMILAR TRENDS
Square Hospital, a private facility in Dhaka, tested 743 samples in June, confirming 387 chikungunya cases. In July, 577 out of 1,289 samples tested positive.
By Aug 10, 176 out of 316 tested samples were confirmed chikungunya.
According to the hospital, out of 2,348 total samples tested this year, 1,140 were chikungunya positive -- an infection rate of 49 percent.
Deepankar Kumar Basak, consultant in internal medicine at Square Hospital, called this rate “very high”.
He noted a large influx of patients with chikungunya this year, most of them treated as outpatients.
“About 90 percent report the same symptoms,” he said. “First, body aches, then within 12 hours, high fever lasting three to four days. They develop rashes and suffer severe joint pain -- especially in knees, ankles, and wrists. Many children are also affected.”
Paediatric specialist Md Shahidullah in Dhanmondi told bdnews24.com that most children visiting his clinic have fever ranging 99–104. Many show severe joint pain.
“Some cases resemble dengue or chikungunya but tests return negative.”
He advised families to go for chikungunya testing if they suspect it, adding: “If it looks like dengue, you treat based on symptoms even if tests are negative.
“You need patience, care, and if it worsens, medical consultation.”
At AMZ Hospital in Badda, medicine specialist Ahmedul Kabir confirmed a rise in chikungunya cases as well.
He noted that early testing often fails to detect the virus.
“Patients complain of joint pain lasting long. When tests are done in the first one to three days of fever, antibody results are negative. But if you do RT-PCR after seven days, you can detect dengue, chikungunya or even Zika,” he explained.
He advised treatment based on symptoms, as chikungunya tests can be expensive.
“Right now, viral fevers are everywhere. If fever is accompanied by joint pain and rashes -- or if the pain persists even after the fever subsides -- consult a specialist,” Dr Kabir said.
COULD IT BE A NEW VIRUS?
Public health expert Mushtuq Husain said the current wave of fever may be caused by influenza, dengue or chikungunya. Respiratory infections could also be behind the surge.
He said chikungunya was present in low numbers last year, but more cases are being detected this year.
“Whether it’s a new virus can only be known through epidemiological analysis. The hospitals have data -- if IEDCR analyses that, we can find out,” Mushtuq added.
Asked whether a new virus might be responsible, IEDCR Director Tahmina Shirin said: “In our tests so far, we’ve found mostly chikungunya. Around 45 percent of tested samples have confirmed chikungunya.
“That means it’s in circulation now. There’s no sign of a new virus, or any new dengue serotype.”
INFLUENZA PEAKS IN JULY
The National Influenza Centre, jointly run by IEDCR and icddr,b under the National Influenza Surveillance in Bangladesh (NISB) and Hospital-Based Influenza Surveillance (HBIS), has been monitoring cases since 2007.
According to the latest data, July 2025 saw the highest influenza detection rate in 18 years.
A total of 2,455 suspected influenza patients were tested in July. Of them, 1,453 or 59.2 percent were confirmed positive.
Bangladesh’s flu season generally runs from April to September.
Earlier, the highest detection rate was 39.7 percent in August 2023, followed by 34.6 percent in July 2024.
IEDCR noted that in recent weeks, many patients are visiting hospitals with cough, fever and breathing issues -- most of whom are believed to be suffering from influenza.
DENGUE OUTBREAK WORSENS
Dengue infections have nearly tripled this year compared with 2024.
According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), 9,816 people were hospitalised with dengue by Aug 19 last year.
By the same date this year, the number has risen to 27,115.
Last year, 74 dengue-related deaths were recorded by this point. This year, the death toll has reached 105.
The DGHS only records hospitalisation numbers. There is no central data on total dengue infections, so the true scale remains unknown.
TIPS TO STAY PROTECTED
IEDCR recommends the following steps to avoid infection during flu season (April–September):
• Wash hands frequently with soap and water or use hand sanitiser
• Follow proper cough etiquette: cover mouth and nose with tissue or elbow when sneezing/coughing
• Dispose of used tissues in a covered bin, wash hands immediately after
• Avoid close contact with healthy individuals if you have fever, cough or breathing difficulties
• Stay away from crowded areas as much as possible
• Wear a mask if needed
• Children under 5, elderly above 65, people with chronic conditions, and pregnant women should get the annual influenza vaccine before the flu season begins
