RESIDENTS OF BANGLADESH FEAR, AS DENGUE CONTINUES TO SPREAD.
Dengue has been spreading rapidly through densely populated Bangladesh this rainy season, raising fears that the mosquito-borne disease could result in a record number of deaths and infections for the second consecutive year.
According to official figures on Wednesday, at least 201 people, more than half of them in the capital Dhaka, have died and more than 37,000 infected with the virus so far this year.
Health officials said hospitals, especially in Dhaka, are struggling to find space for the high caseload of patients suffering high fever, joint pain and vomiting.
2022 figures showed that the virus claimed 281 lives, a record high since the authorities started keeping a tally in 2000, and 62,423 people were infected.
The Health Minister, Mr Zahid Maleque said that the government had launched initiatives to limit the spread of mosquito-borne diseases, from awareness campaigns to efforts to kill mosquito larvae following the current spell of rains.
There is no vaccine or drug that specifically treats dengue, which is common in South Asia during the June-to-September monsoon season as the Aedes aegypti mosquito which spreads the disease thrives in stagnant water.
Source: Reuters.
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