Bangladesh reports 51 dengue deaths as healthcare infrastructure fails

Dhaka, July 9 (IANS) A total of 51 deaths caused by dengue have been reported across Bangladesh since the start of this year, indicating a sharp increase compared to the last two years.

As of Tuesday, dengue cases were reported from 60 districts of the South Asian nation. During the same period in 2024, cases were reported from 54 districts, while in 2023, the number was 56.

This faster and wider spread of the disease has raised serious health concerns, local media reported on Wednesday.

According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) of Bangladesh, three more people died from dengue in 24 hours till Tuesday morning, bringing the number of deaths from the mosquito-borne disease to 51 in 2025.

Additionally, 425 new patients were hospitalised across the country, raising the total number of infections to 13,188 since January.

The new cases reported in the country include 120 in Barishal, 98 in Chattogram, 36 in Dhaka Division (outside city areas), 38 in Dhaka North City Corporation, 55 in Dhaka South City Corporation, 18 in Khulna, 11 in Mymensingh, 48 in Rajshahi, and one in Sylhet.

Experts attributed the spike in cases to inadequate anti-mosquito drives and the absence of awareness campaigns under the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government to effectively control the disease, local media reported.

"Many of these efforts have stopped since August 5 last year. Councillors are largely absent, disrupting the chain of command among public representatives. Due to this breakdown and a lack of control measures, the density of Aedes larvae has increased, as recent surveys show. Consequently, dengue cases have surged," the leading Bangladeshi newspaper, The Daily Star, quoted Kabirul Bashar, an entomologist at Jahangirnagar University, as saying.

Dengue, a mosquito-borne viral disease, has emerged as a serious public health concern in Bangladesh. It is primarily transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito.

According to a report by the Daily Star in April, of the 4,575 union parishad chairmen across the country, at least 1,535 have been absent from duty since August 2024. This has led to the absence of ground-level awareness drives related to the spread of such diseases.

Public health experts, physicians, and entomologists have also claimed that effective measures to prevent dengue were lacking, and the medical system was not overhauled either.

--IANS

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