Published : 21 Sep 2026, 11:48 PM
Updated : 21 Sep 2026, 11:48 PM
Fever, colds, and coughs are sending more patients to hospitals as seasonal flu overlaps with outbreaks of measles and dengue, stretching beds and intensive care capacity.
One-and-a-half-year-old Roza Islam is among them. Suffering from fever, pneumonia and multiple infections, she needs intensive care, but her father Sirajul Islam has been searching hospitals in Dhaka for a vacant bed.
The family travelled from Kushtia after doctors there suspected measles. Dhaka doctors have ruled it out, but found pneumonia and other infections.
“I have been looking for an ICU bed for four days. Everyone told me to go to the Shishu Hospital, but there is no bed here either,” Sirajul said.
Bangladesh Shishu Hospital and Institute has 68 ICU beds, including 16 NICU, 16 PICU, 11 RICU and eight SICU beds.
Public Relations Officer Bashir Uddin said demand is now more than double the number of beds becoming vacant each day.
Doctors say seasonal flu has been unusually widespread this year.
At Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital, a man known only as Saddam tested positive for dengue after developing a fever last week. His brother Ilias Hossain said acquaintances nearby were also suffering from fever and colds.
Doctors warn that dengue and measles both begin with fever, making them difficult to distinguish.
Medicine professor Nandita Pal advised testing for dengue within three days of fever and warned against self-administering saline.
“After the fever subsides, blood pressure should be checked,” she said, noting that complications can emerge afterwards.
Hospitals Under Pressure
On Monday, neither hospital had vacant beds in its dengue or measles wards. More than 100 patients were receiving treatment on beds along Suhrawardy Hospital’s fifth-floor corridor.
Records showed 1,246 outpatient visits there in 24 hours, including 289 for colds, 39 for pneumonia, 37 for dengue and more than 250 for skin problems.
The hospital has treated 3,205 measles patients this year, with 63 currently admitted. It has treated 3,638 dengue patients, with 242 currently admitted -- twice its capacity.
A doctor said most dengue tests over the previous 24 hours were positive, while overcrowding in the children’s ward was forcing referrals because of limited oxygen cylinders.
The DNCC Dedicated COVID Hospital is now reserved for measles patients. Experts warn that treating highly contagious measles alongside dengue in government hospitals increases infection risks.
A Chattogram study found 59.4 percent of infected children contracted measles at a healthcare facility or hospital, highlighting weaknesses in infection control. Researchers recommended year-round vaccination and strict isolation.
Shishu Hospital Director Mirza Md Ziaul Islam said measles may ease soon but expressed concern over rising dengue, particularly among children recovering from measles.
8 Deaths Daily
The country has recorded 1,063 measles deaths since March, including 90 through Sept 21. Dengue has killed 190 this year, including 93 in September.
Dengue hospitalisations have surged from 1,081 in January to 27,781 in September. Measles admissions also exceeded 5,000 in both August and September.
Together, measles and dengue killed 183 people in the first 21 days of September, averaging more than eight deaths a day.
Public health expert Mushtuq Husain said stronger primary healthcare and early diagnosis are essential, rather than relying on more tertiary beds.
Health Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Hossain said a nationwide intensified MR catch-up vaccination campaign would run from Sept 26 to Oct 31, targeting unvaccinated or missed children aged six months to under five.
He said the government was fully prepared for dengue treatment, with no saline shortage, and mobile hospitals and the army ready for emergencies.
He urged patients to seek treatment at Upazila level where possible to ease pressure on specialised hospitals.
