With 10 new deaths recorded yesterday, 178 people have died from dengue just in the month of July.

The number is just one shy of the total deaths in all of 2019 when dengue reached epidemic proportions with over one lakh patients.

According to the Directorate General of Health Services, apart from the new deaths, 2,361 people were hospitalised in the 24 hours till yesterday morning.

Since January this year, 225 people have died from the mosquito-borne virus. The number was 281 last year, 105 in 2021, seven in 2020 and 179 in 2019.

Experts and doctors have attributed this year's death rate to late hospitalisation and re-infections.

Fluid intake is the main treatment for dengue patients, they said, adding that in most cases, blood and platelets transfusions are not needed.

They suggested that those diagnosed with dengue at home take sufficient amounts of fluids and consider hospital admission if there are signs of  deterioration.

Medical experts also said that many patients have a misconception about treatment and believe getting platelet transfusion is a necessity.

Parveen Akhter was anxious when her two-year-old daughter Afsana's platelet count dropped to 36,000.

"I was very worried until I admitted her to hospital on Monday. However, she has been recovering with fluid management."

HM Nazmul Ahsan, associate professor at Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital, said, "Only five to 10 percent of dengue patients need blood transfusions," adding that they prescribe blood transfusions to patients who have active bleeding or are in a critical stage.

"If a patient is stable with even a 5,000 platelets count, we do not prescribe transfusion … Patients experiencing dengue shock syndrome are first given crystalloid fluid and then colloid fluid. If the patient's blood pressure or hematocrit [volume of red blood cells] do not improve from those, then we move on to blood transfusion."

Prof Ahmedul Kabir, additional director general of DGHS and secretary general of Bangladesh Society of Medicine, said, "Rather than platelet count, blood pressure is a more significant parameter for a dengue patient to know the extent of severity. It's possible for people to get treatment at home even with a 10,000 platelet count as long as they are stable.

"However, patients must be aware of the danger signs and must get admitted to hospital as soon as they notice those."

He added that the danger signs include severe stomach ache, difficulty breathing, severe weakness, bleeding from gums or nose, vomiting, and/or blood in stool, urine or vomit.