Hospitals under strain as Bangladesh dengue outbreak accelerates

Bangladesh’s dengue outbreak is accelerating, with 42,590 people hospitalised and 117 deaths recorded this year as a sharp September surge puts further pressure on hospitals.

At least four dengue patients died and 1,558 were hospitalised in the past 24 hours, according to Health Ministry, marking the highest daily admission total recorded so far this year.

The mosquito-borne disease, which can cause high fever, severe headaches and potentially fatal complications, has spread rapidly in recent weeks, raising concerns that September could become the worst month of the year.

Experts warn of further surge

Professor Kabirul Bashar, a medical entomologist at Jahangirnagar University, said his surveillance and forecasting model suggests dengue hospitalisations could exceed 30,000 this month if current trends continue.

“The peak has not been reached yet,” Bashar said. “If the current trajectory continues, September may become the worst month of the year for dengue infections.”

He said weather conditions could support dengue transmission into October, while the spread of Aedes mosquitoes beyond Dhaka and other major cities is driving infections in districts and rural areas. Cases have now been reported in all 64 districts, with the capital accounting for the largest share.

Hospitals under pressure

Dengue patients can deteriorate rapidly after their fever subsides, developing complications including plasma leakage, low blood pressure, shock and severe bleeding.

“Patients are flooding hospitals, and warning signs such as abdominal pain, dizziness and unusual lethargy must not be ignored,” said Professor Tarek Alam, a physician treating dengue patients in Dhaka.

The outbreak has added pressure to a healthcare system already dealing with a nationwide measles outbreak that has killed nearly 1,000 children this year.

For Zahid Hasan, 32, the outbreak became a personal ordeal when his four-year-old son developed a high fever and was diagnosed with dengue.

As the child's condition worsened, Hasan took him to three government hospitals but could not find an available bed.

“I was terrified. As a father, it was unbearable to watch my child getting worse without knowing where he could be admitted,” Hasan said.

He eventually secured a bed at a private hospital with the help of a relative. His son received seven bags of blood and plasma before being discharged.

“Those days were a nightmare for us. We were constantly afraid something could happen to him,” Hasan said. His son remains weak and is recovering slowly.

Bangladesh experienced its deadliest-ever dengue outbreak in 2023.

Government orders nationwide clean-up

The government has intensified prevention efforts as cases rise. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has ordered nationwide clean-up and awareness campaigns, urging people to remove stagnant water and other mosquito-breeding sites and increase community participation in mosquito-control measures.

“Fogging alone cannot control dengue if breeding sites remain untouched,” Professor Bashar said, calling for control efforts to focus on areas where Aedes mosquitoes are breeding and warning that a lack of evidence-based interventions remains a major weakness in dengue control.

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Bangladesh Dengue Outbreak healthcare News Mosquitoes Mosquito-borne disease