Dengue deaths cross 100 mark as outbreak threat worsens
Dengue has killed 101 people and infected 24,183 so far this year, official data showed, placing a severe strain on the country's already overstretched healthcare system.
A sharp rise in fatalities has accompanied the spike in cases.
Nineteen people have already died of dengue so far in August, following 41 deaths in July – more than double June's 19 fatalities.
'The situation is critical. The virus is already widespread across the country, and without aggressive intervention, hospitals will be overwhelmed,' said Kabirul Bashar, an entomologist at Jahangirnagar University.
'August could see at least three times as many cases as July, with numbers potentially peaking in September.'
Health officials are urging people to use mosquito repellents, sleep under nets, and eliminate stagnant water where mosquitoes breed.
'We need coordinated spraying and community clean-up drives, especially in high-risk zones.'
Experts say climate change, along with warm, humid weather and intermittent rain, has created ideal breeding conditions for Aedes mosquitoes, the carriers of the dengue virus.
While Dhaka remains a major hotspot, dengue is peaking across the country. Large numbers of infections are being reported from outside the capital, adding pressure to rural healthcare facilities with limited capacity to treat severe cases.
Doctors warn that early medical attention is critical. Severe abdominal pain, vomiting, bleeding, or extreme fatigue should prompt immediate hospital visits to reduce the risk of complications or death.
The deadliest year on record was 2023, with 1,705 deaths and more than 321,000 infections reported. — Reuters
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Barnama
4 hours ago
- Barnama
Israel Committing ‘Medical Genocide' In Gaza, UN Experts Say
Humanitarian aid packages are airdropped over the Gaza Strip, as seen from Israel, August 1, 2025. REUTERS/Amir Cohen NEW YORK, Aug 13 (Bernama-WAFA) -- Israel's deliberate destruction of Gaza's healthcare system amounts to "medical genocide," deliberately attacking and starving healthcare workers, paramedics, and hospitals to eliminate medical care in the besieged enclave, the Palestine News and Information Agency (WAFA) reported. "As human beings and UN experts, we cannot remain silent in the face of the war crimes being committed before our eyes in Gaza," said Tlaleng Mofokeng, UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health, and Francesca Albanese, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967. "In addition to witnessing an ongoing genocide, we are also witnessing a medical genocide - a contributing factor in the deliberate creation of conditions designed to destroy Palestinians in Gaza, which constitutes an act of genocide," they added. bootstrap slideshow The experts warned that the apartheid regime targeting Palestinians in the occupied territory and the ongoing attacks on Gaza's healthcare system are exhausting the last remaining resources in the besieged and devastated enclave. They said, "Health and care workers have been repeatedly targeted, detained, and tortured, and now, like the rest of the population, they are starving." The United Nations reported that health and care workers have fainted due to lack of food and hunger, a violation not only of their right to health but also of their ability to perform their duties and jeopardising the care and treatment conditions necessary for their patients. They added, "Ignoring the crimes that Israel continues to commit in Gaza sends a clear message to the world: the people of Gaza do not count, and their lives are worthless. Palestinians in Gaza are being denied their right to dignity, existence, and food." 'There is a moral duty on the international community to end the massacre and allow the people of Gaza to live on their land without fear of attack, killing, starvation, or the enduring reality of occupation and apartheid,' they said. 'States have failed in this duty, and the people trapped in the hell of Gaza are paying the ultimate price for this failure and indifference.' They called for an immediate ceasefire, to hold Israel accountable, and to save what remains of Gaza's healthcare system to prevent the extermination of its population.
The Sun
2 days ago
- The Sun
US CDC boosts security after deadly Atlanta HQ shooting
THE U.S. CDC has tightened security following an attack Friday on its Atlanta headquarters that left a police officer and the gunman dead, including having most employees work from home this week and removing vehicle decals showing where they work. The union representing workers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the violence 'compounds months of mistreatment, neglect, and vilification that CDC staff have endured,' citing reports that the gunman blamed the Covid-19 vaccine for making him depressed and suicidal. Since being named Health and Human Services Secretary earlier this year, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has targeted vaccine policy, and in May withdrew a federal recommendation for Covid shots for pregnant women and healthy children. Kennedy toured the CDC site on Monday, where agency security pointed out shattered windows across multiple buildings, including the main guard booth, HHS said in a statement. He also visited the DeKalb County Police Department and met privately with the widow of Officer David Rose, who gave his life in the line of duty. 'No one should face violence while working to protect the health of others,' Kennedy Jr. said in a post on X on Saturday. HHS said it continues to support CDC personnel and additional safety and security measures are being put in place ahead of their return to the office. A source briefed on the matter told Reuters that 189 rounds of gunfire had hit the CDC buildings during the attack, 85 windows were broken and over 100 doors destroyed, among other damage. Both local and federal law enforcement are 'conducting intensive monitoring of all potential threats to CDC and its staff,' the agency's acting Chief Operating Officer Christa Capozzola said in an email to staff over the weekend that was seen by Reuters. She said work was under way to clean up and repair extensive damage to the CDC's campus by the shooter who, according to the investigation so far, acted alone. An 'all-staff' meeting on Tuesday will become a virtual-only event, CDC Director Susan Monarez said in a separate email seen by Reuters. She said teams were working to determine 'our workplace posture' moving forward. The agency's safety division asked employees to remove CDC-identifying decals from their vehicles, an email seen by Reuters showed. The Atlanta Police Department referred calls to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which did not have an immediate comment. - Reuters
The Star
2 days ago
- The Star
Dengue deaths cross 100 mark as outbreak threat worsens
The country is experiencing a surge in dengue cases and deaths, with health experts warning that August could bring an even more severe outbreak of the mosquito-borne disease if urgent action is not taken. Dengue has killed 101 people and infected 24,183 so far this year, official data showed, placing a severe strain on the country's already overstretched healthcare system. A sharp rise in fatalities has accompanied the spike in cases. Nineteen people have already died of dengue so far in August, following 41 deaths in July – more than double June's 19 fatalities. 'The situation is critical. The virus is already widespread across the country, and without aggressive intervention, hospitals will be overwhelmed,' said Kabirul Bashar, an entomologist at Jahangirnagar University. 'August could see at least three times as many cases as July, with numbers potentially peaking in September.' Health officials are urging people to use mosquito repellents, sleep under nets, and eliminate stagnant water where mosquitoes breed. 'We need coordinated spraying and community clean-up drives, especially in high-risk zones.' Experts say climate change, along with warm, humid weather and intermittent rain, has created ideal breeding conditions for Aedes mosquitoes, the carriers of the dengue virus. While Dhaka remains a major hotspot, dengue is peaking across the country. Large numbers of infections are being reported from outside the capital, adding pressure to rural healthcare facilities with limited capacity to treat severe cases. Doctors warn that early medical attention is critical. Severe abdominal pain, vomiting, bleeding, or extreme fatigue should prompt immediate hospital visits to reduce the risk of complications or death. The deadliest year on record was 2023, with 1,705 deaths and more than 321,000 infections reported. — Reuters
