The hospitalisation and death trend in the ongoing dengue endemic is the worst in 23 years, according to available data and entomologists.

At least 28,443 more dengue patients were hospitalised across the country this year until Friday, the highest figure since 2000 when Bangladesh officially started keeping records of dengue patients.

A total of 18,466 dengue patients were hospitalised between January and July in 2019, the previous highest number of hospitalised dengue cases in the first seven months of a year.

Dengue has killed 156 people across the country so far this year, including one death in 24 hours ending at 8:00am Friday.

In 2022, when Bangladesh logged the highest-ever 281 deaths, only five people died between January 1 and July 21.

‘The dengue situation in Bangladesh is worst among all South Asian countries after Sri Lanka,’ observed Jahangirnagar University zoology professor and vector management expert Kabirul Bashar.

‘This is also a matter of concern that we only get the data of some hospitalised dengue patients while many others remain unreported,’ he said.

He said that the country’s ongoing mosquito control efforts were not bearing any fruit.

‘We are witnessing the worst ever dengue situation this year. The situation may aggravate in the days to come if the efforts are not continued throughout the year,’ he told New Age.

Bangladesh reported the highest-ever number of 1,01,354 hospitalised dengue cases in 2019.

A total of 1,374 dengue patients were hospitalised between January and July in 2018, 18,466 in 2019, 349 in 2020, 2,658 in 2021, and 2,610 in 2022.

At least 20,465 dengue patients were hospitalised in the 21 days of July when 109 deaths were reported.

The previous highest dengue hospitalisation in the month was reported at 16,253 in 2019. In 2022, the highest number of 113 people died of dengue in November.

Local government, rural development, and cooperatives minister Md Tajul Islam claimed on Wednesday that the dengue situation in Bangladesh was better than in India, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore.

‘The situation is yet to get dangerous,’ said Tajul while chairing an inter-ministerial meeting on the activities of containing dengue and other mosquito-borne diseases at the Local Government Division.

A total of 191 dengue cases were reported from July 14 to July 20 in Singapore, according to the National Environment Agency, the leading public organisation responsible for ensuring a clean and sustainable environment for Singapore.

On the other hand, at least 9,716 dengue patients were hospitalised across Bangladesh from July 14 to July 20, according to Directorate General of Health Services data.

Malaysia’s health ministry says 45 people died of dengue between January and July 2. Bangladesh reported 52 deaths during the same period.

Entomologist Manjur Ahmed Chowdhury said that the situation had turned into an epidemic while the local government minister presented fabricated Singapore data to the people.

‘In Singapore, the government recorded the data if any  patient was found positive for dengue. But we are giving only a handful of hospitalised dengue patients’ data,’ he said, adding that the original number of cases might be 20 times higher than the official figure.

He said that the dengue situation got this much worse due to government agencies’ failures, mostly the two Dhaka city authorities.

At least 896 dengue patients were hospitalised in 24 hours, until Friday morning. Among the 53 Dhaka hospitals that give dengue data regularly, 35 went unreported on Friday, a weekly holiday.

On Friday, at least 6,076 dengue patients, including 3,560 in Dhaka city, were undergoing treatment at public and private health facilities in the country.

Public health officials and experts have warned that the dengue situation might get out of control this year unless Aedes mosquito breeding is controlled.

The DGHS, in its pre-monsoon survey, found the highest mosquito density in five years in Dhaka city areas amid allegations of failure to contain Aedes mosquito breeding grounds.

In the pre-monsoon Aedes Survey 2023 disseminated on July 4, the DGHS found larvae of Aedes mosquitoes in 43.53 per cent of multi-storey buildings, 21.31 per cent of independent houses and 18.21 per cent of construction sites.

There are several factors contributing to this increase, and they include high mosquito population levels, susceptibility to circulating serotypes, favourable air temperatures, precipitation, and humidity, all of which affect the reproduction and feeding patterns of mosquito populations, as well as the dengue virus incubation period, according to the World Health Organisation.

Epidemiologist AM Zakir Hussain said that temperature and humidity were conducive to Aedes mosquito breeding.

‘If the dengue cases and deaths increase by five to ten per cent, we can tell it’s an epidemic situation,’ he added.

A dengue outbreak was first officially reported in the country in 2000, when 5,551 people were hospitalised and 93 died, according to DGHS data.

DENGUE TREND IN SIX YEARS

Year       Dengue hospitalisation from January to July     Yearly hospitalisation     Yearly deaths

2023       28,443 as of July 21                                           —                                  156 as of July 21

2022       2,610                                                                   62,382                          281 (highest)

2021       2,658                                                                   28,429                          105

2020       349                                                                      1,405                            7

2019       18,466                                                                 1,01,354 (highest)         179

2018       1,374                                                                    10,148                          26

Source: Directorate General of Health Services