Dengue cases cross 20,000 mark

One person died of dengue and 393 new patients were hospitalised across the country in the 24 hours till yesterday morning, according to the DGHS.

With this, the total number of dengue cases this year has risen to 20,316, while the death toll stands at 79.

So far, 18,951 patients have recovered from the disease, including 14,918 from outside Dhaka.

Currently, 1,286 dengue patients are receiving treatment at various hospitals nationwide, 936 of them outside the capital.

Health experts attribute the rising fatalities to severe complications, such as multi-organ failure, dengue shock syndrome, and delayed hospitalisation.

Public health expert Dr Mushtaq Hussain said decentralising the healthcare system is vital to reducing dengue-related deaths. If patients can access early treatment, they are less likely to reach a critical stage, he said.