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Dhaka, Bangladesh – November 8, 2024
Bangladesh is facing a mounting public health crisis as dengue fever cases continue to surge across the country. Health professionals are growing increasingly concerned as climate change exacerbates the spread of the disease, transforming what was once a seasonal outbreak into a year-round threat. The result is overcrowded hospitals, with some pediatric wards forced to accommodate two children per bed due to the overwhelming number of patients.
The Aedes mosquito, which carries the dengue virus, breeds in stagnant water, and its presence has been particularly problematic in urban areas where waterlogged environments persist. While dengue cases traditionally began to subside after the monsoon season, this year has seen a disturbing trend of increasing cases throughout the autumn months.
“Normally, around this time, we would expect the flow of patients to ebb,” said Dr. Fazlul Haque, a senior doctor at the Shaheed Sohrawardi Medical College in Dhaka. “For the last three weeks, the number of dengue cases has been increasing steadily.”
Dr. Sabina Tabassum Anika, who oversees the children’s dengue ward, confirmed that hospitals are struggling to keep up with the rising patient load. “We are now assigning two children to each hospital bed to accommodate the increasing number of patients,” she said, noting that the pediatric ward has been particularly hard-hit.
The situation has been worsened by the high number of fatalities. Last month alone, Bangladesh recorded 134 deaths from dengue, making it the deadliest month of the year. As of November 1, the total death toll in 2024 stands at 326, a significant concern, although the number of deaths is still lower than the more than 1,000 deaths reported in 2023. However, dengue-related fatalities are now being recorded nearly every month, a troubling sign of the disease’s growing persistence.
At the start of November, Bangladesh had reported more than 65,000 confirmed dengue cases, with the virus often causing severe symptoms such as bleeding, including from the mouth and nose, in its most extreme forms.
International health organizations, including the World Health Organization (WHO), have expressed alarm at the global spread of the disease. Dengue cases have been reported to double each year since 2021, with over 12.3 million cases and more than 7,900 deaths recorded worldwide in the first eight months of 2024 alone.
Sheikh Daud Adnan, from the Communicable Disease Control (CDC), has stressed the importance of proactive measures to curb the spread of the disease. “Too often, we delay and act only after an outbreak,” he said. “People still don’t fully understand that dengue can strike at any time of the year, and many continue to mistake it for a seasonal fever.”
Health experts are urging the public and authorities to intensify efforts to eliminate mosquito breeding grounds, particularly stagnant water, which provides ideal conditions for the Aedes mosquito to lay its eggs. They are also calling for more widespread awareness campaigns to help the public recognize the year-round threat of dengue.
As Bangladesh grapples with this ongoing health crisis, medics are facing the challenges of overcrowded hospitals and an escalating number of cases, while the broader global community watches as climate change turns dengue into an ever-present risk.
