Dengue Outbreak in Bangladesh: Death Toll Climbs to 494

Dengue cases are surging swiftly in Bangladesh. Dengue outbreaks rose in November, with nearly 30,000 cases reported during this month alone. Out of these, 173 individuals succumbed to the disease.

As per official statistics from the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), 29,652 cases were recorded in November, according to Xinhua news agency.

Since January this year, the number of dengue fever cases in Bangladesh has risen to 92,351, following the report of 882 new cases in the last 24 hours.

According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), six deaths due to dengue were reported nationwide in the past 24 hours until Sunday morning, raising the total number of fatalities to 494.

In 2023, Bangladesh reported 1,705 deaths due to dengue, marking the highest annual death toll. By contrast, there were 281 dengue-related deaths in 2022 and 179 in 2019.

Dengue fever is a viral illness transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes. Symptoms include headache, high fever, fatigue, intense muscle and joint pain, swollen glands, vomiting, and a rash.

Health officials in Bangladesh have implemented strategies to curb mosquito breeding and launched anti-larval campaigns to address the increasing dengue cases.