Dhaka: Bangladesh's dengue situation has taken a turn for the worse, with 79 deaths reported in the first 17 days of September, the highest monthly death toll so far this year.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) reported that a total of 176 dengue patients have died from the mosquito-borne disease since January 1 this year. The breakdown of deaths includes two in January, two in February, one in May, 13 in June, 36 in July, and 43 in August. September alone accounted for 79 fatalities, representing approximately 44.89 percent of the total deaths recorded so far this year.
In addition to the fatalities, a total of 22,554 dengue patients were admitted to hospitals across the country in the first 17 days of September, marking the highest monthly figure this year. This number has surpassed the 22,536 patients admitted in August. The deadliest day of the year was September 8, with nine dengue-related deaths recorded in a single day. Notably, there were no dengue deaths reported in March and April.
In the 24 hours leading up to 8:00 am on Thursday, five more people died of dengue, and 1,484 new patients were hospitalized across the country. Of the recent deaths, four were reported in Dhaka North City Corporation, while the other was recorded in the Rangpur division.
Since January 1, a total of 58,400 dengue patients have been admitted to hospitals across the country, with 54,092 of them having recovered.