Bangladesh dengue outbreak accelerates as hospitals come under strain

Bangladesh's dengue outbreak is accelerating, with 42,590 people hospitalised and ​117 deaths recorded this year, as a sharp September surge strains hospitals and raises fears the mosquito-borne disease could intensify further in the coming weeks.

At least four dengue patients died and 1,558 others were hospitalised in the past 24 hours, according to health ministry data, marking the highest ‌daily admission tally ⁠recorded ⁠so far this year.

The disease, which can cause fever, severe headaches and potentially fatal complications, has spread sharply in recent weeks, reviving concerns after Bangladesh's deadliest ​dengue outbreak in 2023. The outbreak has further strained a healthcare system already grappling with a nationwide measles outbreak that has killed nearly 1,000 ​children this year.


Health experts warn September could prove even more severe than August, which recorded the highest monthly dengue caseload of the year.

Professor Kabirul Bashar, a medical entomologist at Jahangirnagar University, said his surveillance and forecasting model suggests hospitalisations could ​exceed 30,000 this month if current trends continue, with weather conditions likely to support ⁠transmission into ‌October.

"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."

HOSPITAL BEDS IN SHORT SUPPLY

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.

Dengue patients can deteriorate rapidly after their fever subsides, developing complications such as plasma leakage, low blood pressure, shock and severe bleeding, making close monitoring during the critical post-fever phase essential.

"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.

Bashar said the spread of Aedes mosquitoes beyond Dhaka and other major cities was fuelling infections in districts and rural areas. Dengue cases have now been reported in all 64 districts, although the capital continues to account for the largest share.

The government has intensified prevention efforts as the outbreak worsens. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has ordered nationwide cleanup and awareness campaigns, urging people to remove stagnant water and other mosquito-breeding sites while encouraging greater community participation in mosquito-control measures.

"Fogging alone cannot control dengue if breeding sites remain untouched," Bashar said. "Control efforts must target areas where Aedes mosquitoes are actually breeding. The biggest weakness in dengue control is the lack of evidence-based interventions."