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What happened, where and when?
The dengue outbreak in Bangladesh has taken a worrisome turn, with a worrying increase in cases and fatalities this year. As of 18 July 2023, the country has already recorded 127 fatalities (female - 73; male - 54) from the mosquito-borne disease, a staggering five times higher than the previous year (2022). Dengue has spread to 60 districts, and public health experts fear that the situation is becoming increasingly complicated, posing a significant risk to a large number of people.
In Dhaka city, which is at the epicenter of the outbreak, only 63 hospitals (20 public and 43 private) out of several hundred hospitals and clinics are currently designated to report dengue cases to the surveillance system. To tackle the surge in patients, Bangladesh Shishu Hospital and Institute has established a separate dengue cell, while the 800-bed Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Hospital has been declared as a dengue-dedicated hospital. The government has called upon all medical colleges and public hospitals across the nation to open dedicated dengue wards and corners to accommodate the rising number of infections and fatalities.
The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) of Bangladesh reports that mosquito density this year is much higher than in the previous years of 2019-2020. This increase is partly attributed to the late arrival and expected prolonged duration of the monsoon season.
On 18 July 2023, a record-breaking 1,533 patients were admitted to hospitals due to dengue, bringing the total number of hospital admissions to 24,000 as of the same date (with 63 per cent male and 37 per cent female patients).
Furthermore, a total of 127 fatalities have been reported (Source: DGHS Report, 18 July 2023).
During a pre-monsoon survey from 18-27 June 2023, the DGHS conducted an assessment of 3,150 households across 98 wards in Dhaka's two city corporations. The survey revealed that 20.04 per cent of houses under the Dhaka North City Corporation and 15.47 per cent of houses under the Dhaka South City Corporation had Aedes mosquito larvae, the carriers of dengue. Further, Dhaka City Corporation has been severely affected by the outbreak, witnessing higher dengue cases and fatalities in July 2023 compared to the same period in 2021 and 2022. The city alone accounted for approximately 80 per cent of this year's dengue-related deaths and 64.5 per cent of total hospitalizations.
In response to the escalating situation, BDRCS organized an emergency coordination meeting on 16 July 2023, at the Emergency Operation Centre (EOC). The meeting aimed to analyze the current situation and discuss potential interventions in coordination with relevant BDRCS departments and the IFRC. Considering the severity of the situation and the requests from City corporations and DGHS, BDRCS formally requested the IFRC on 18 July 2023, to allocate the Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF) to assist in addressing the outbreak.
Details of below photo and statistics:
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Picture 1: volunteers of the BDRCS Chattogram Branch using a megaphone to inform the public about the outbreak of Dengue and the importance of safety (Photo: BDRCS)
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Graph 1: Statistics of the reported dengue cases in Bangladesh in last five years (January-July) (Source: DGHS)