Four More Dengue Deaths, 1,512 Admitted to Hospital in a Single Day
Four more people have died of the Aedes mosquito-borne disease dengue in the country in the last 24 hours. In the same period, 1,512 newly infected patients were admitted to hospitals across the country. The Directorate General of Health Services gave the information in a release on Thursday (22 October).
By the health directorate's count, the four deaths take this year's dengue death toll to 368. With more than two months of the year still remaining, the toll crossing three hundred and fifty has deepened concern over the dengue situation.
The pressure is also clear in hospital admissions. The 1,512 new patients in the last 24 hours take the total number of people admitted to hospital with dengue this year to 118,502.
By division, the most patients were admitted in Dhaka Division — 507. The figure shows that dengue's grip remains strongest in the capital and its surroundings.
Outside Dhaka, 254 patients were admitted in Chattogram Division and 231 in Barishal Division. In Khulna Division, 206 were admitted. In other words, dengue is no longer only a capital-centred problem; patients are rising in almost every division.
In Rajshahi Division, 162 patients were admitted in the last 24 hours, 60 in Mymensingh Division and 44 in Rangpur Division. Comparatively the fewest admissions were in Sylhet Division — eight.
More than fifteen hundred new patients being admitted every day means the pressure on hospitals continues. Dengue treatment requires extensive fluid management, regular blood tests and monitoring; as patient numbers rise, shortages of beds and staff become acute.
The main way to prevent dengue is to stop Aedes mosquitoes from breeding. Stagnant water in and around homes is this mosquito's chief breeding ground. Public health experts have long said the pace of infection can only be slowed through regular cleaning and removing standing water.
If fever strikes, it is important not to neglect it — seek a doctor's advice quickly and get admitted to hospital if needed. Warning signs such as abdominal pain, vomiting or bleeding make any delay risky.
All eyes will now be on which way infection and death numbers move in the coming days. As Aedes mosquito activity tends to rise after the rains, continuity of mosquito control and cleanliness drives will be the key to bringing the situation under control.
