Dengue death toll rises to 177 with 7 new fatalities

Seven more deaths reported in 24 hours till Monday morning raised this year's fatalities from the mosquito-borne disease to 177, amid a sharp rise in dengue cases in different parts of the country.

During the period, 875 patients were hospitalized with the viral fever, according to the Directorate General of Health Services, reports UNB. 

The gradual increase in dengue infections has created panic among the residents of Dhaka city.

Hospitals are failing to cope with the pressure of dengue patients despite setting up new wards.

Doctors and health experts say that measures taken by the city corporations and other authorities are not proving to be effective. The publicity and drives carried out by the authorities to destroy larvae of Aedes mosquito, the carrier of the dengue virus, are appearing to be inadequate.

Of the latest deaths, six were reported from Dhaka and one from Chittagong division.

The new figures raised the death toll in Dhaka division to 109, in Chittagong division to 44.

Of the new patients, 497 were admitted to different hospitals in Dhaka and 378 outside it, according to the DGHS.

A total of 3,270 dengue patients, including 1,980 in the capital, are now receiving treatment at hospitals across the country.

The directorate has recorded 43,982 dengue cases and 40, 535 recoveries so far this year.

On Thursday, the country reported nine dengue deaths, the highest death toll from dengue in a day this year.

Dengue outbreaks in Bangladesh exceeded all previous records in 2019, mostly in the capital city of Dhaka. A total of 101,354 dengue cases were officially recorded.