Dengue spike rings alarm

Bangladesh is grappling with a sudden rise in dengue cases this year, as the country has already recorded 4,427 cases and 33 deaths since the beginning of 2023.

During the same period in 2022, the total number of cases stood at 690, with no reported fatalities, according to the data from the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

Worryingly, within just 17 days of June, the country has already reported 2,570 new dengue cases and 20 deaths, according to the DGHS.

In the last 24 hours till 8:00am yesterday, two dengue patients died and 477 were hospitalised.

Keeping the statistics in mind, experts speculated that the country may witness an even worse outbreak of Aedes mosquito-borne disease this year as the presence of mosquito has increased in the early days of summer.

If fever persists for 4-5 days, people should get a dengue test as per the advice from a physician.

— Saifullah Munshi Professor of virology at BSMMU

This has also sparked concerns among health authorities and people alike.

"It is highly likely that both the dengue cases and deaths will break the all-time record in August-September," Kabirul Bashar, professor and entomologist at Jahangirnagar University, told The Daily Star yesterday.

He highlighted multiple reasons behind his speculation.

"The first reason is that the outbreak last year got abnormally prolonged till January this year as the authorities failed to destroy the favourable conditions for the breeding and proliferation of Aedes mosquitoes," he said.

The number of deaths in dengue was 281 last year while the number of cases was 62,382, of which 23,162 were outside Dhaka.

The latest outbreak, meanwhile, highlights the similar failure, which was also echoed by Health Minister Zahid Maleque last week.

At an event on Wednesday, he said there may be gaps in the city corporations' efforts to control the spread of Aedes mosquitos, resulting in deterioration of the dengue situation.

Referring to a field-investigation last year, Prof Bashar, said the favourable conditions for the breeding of mosquitoes have increased notably due to the massive construction works and water stagnation.

"So, the dengue outbreak continued even after January, and it started galloping as soon as the rainy season started in June," Prof Bashar said. "These are the leading causes, but climate change and unpredictable weather patterns have also been impacting the dengue outbreak slowly."

HIGHER DEATH SPECULATED

According to the researchers, dengue fever is caused by the dengue virus, which belongs to the Flaviviridae family. There are four distinct serotypes of the dengue virus: DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3, and DEN-4.

These serotypes are closely related but differ slightly in their genetic makeup, leading to variations in their antigenic properties.

When a person is infected with one serotype of the dengue virus, they develop immunity to that specific serotype. However, this immunity does not provide protection against the other serotypes, according to researchers.

Saifullah Munshi, professor of virology at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, told The Daily Star yesterday, "In fact, subsequent infections with a different serotype can potentially lead to more severe forms of dengue, such as dengue hemorrhagic fever or dengue shock syndrome."

Recently, researchers have reported Den-4 in Chattogram, according to Munshi.

"We already have the outbreak caused by the three previous serotypes. If the Den-4 has started circulating, then it is concerning," Munshi said.

Echoing Prof Bashar, he also said, "If there are many cases this year, we will witness a higher death rate too. Because, many people will get a second-time infection due to the massive outbreak last year."

To stay safe, he urged people to contact a physician if they exhibit dengue symptoms including high fever (40°C/ 104°F), severe headache, joint and muscle pain, rash, and mild bleeding.

"If fever persists for 4-5 days, people should get a dengue test as per the advice from a physician," he advised.

He also urged people not to be worried.

"Dengue treatment is possible by staying at home as per the suggestion from the physician. Also, drinking adequate liquid food -- fruit juice, water, and saline -- is a must," he added.