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 At least 14 people have died and more than 17,000 have come down
with the virus so far this year, according to official figures,
making it the deadliest year since the first recorded epidemic in
2000.
More than 1,400 people have been diagnosed with dengue in the past
24 hours alone, the Health Ministry said on Thursday.
Local media reported that at least 50 people had died of dengue.
Hospitals in worst-hit Dhaka, the capital, home to more than 20
million people, are struggling to find space as many with symptoms
such as high fever, vomiting and joint pains seek treatment, health
officials said.
The government has launched initiatives to control the spread of
mosquito-borne diseases, from awareness campaigns to efforts to kill
mosquito larvae, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said. "We need
concerted effort to tackle the crisis," he said.
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Dengue is common in South Asia, especially during the monsoon season
which runs from June to September, and there is no specific
treatment, but with early detection and access to proper medical
care fewer than 1% of sufferers die from the disease.
Globally, the number of dengue cases dropped in 2017-2018, but there
has been a sharp increase in 2019, especially in Australia,
Cambodia, China, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam.
The dengue virus is spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito which has
grown rapidly along with urbanization and globalization because it
thrives in tropical mega-cities and is easily spread in goods
containing small puddles of water.
(Reporting by Ruma Paul; Editing by Janet Lawrence)
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