Desk report: Dengue has claimed 50 lives in the first nine days of October, taking the country’s death toll from the mosquito-borne disease to 295 this year.
Another person died of dengue in the last 24 hours leading up to Friday, while 1,300 new patients were hospitalised, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The latest figures, released on Friday, showed that the total number of dengue cases requiring hospitalisation this year had reached 95,451.
The latest victim was a boy aged between zero and five years, the DGHS said.
Women accounted for 51.9 percent of this year’s dengue deaths, while men made up 48.1 percent, according to an analysis of the fatalities.
The death toll has climbed steadily since June. Two people died of dengue each in January and February, while no deaths were recorded in March or April. The disease claimed one life in May and 13 in June, followed by 36 in July and 43 in August.
September proved particularly deadly, with 148 deaths. October has already recorded 50 fatalities, including the highest single-day toll of 10 on October 6.
Khulna recorded the highest number of deaths among the listed areas, with 60. In Dhaka, 80 deaths were reported at hospitals under Dhaka South City Corporation, 35 at hospitals under Dhaka North City Corporation and 17 at hospitals outside the two city corporations.
Chattogram and Barishal each reported 25 deaths, while Mymensingh recorded 23, Rajshahi 21, Rangpur six and Sylhet three.
Hospital admissions have also surged in recent months. A total of 15,831 dengue patients were hospitalised in the first nine days of October, following 43,774 admissions in September.
The monthly admission figures stood at 1,081 in January, 409 in February, 353 in March, 640 in April, 714 in May, 2,907 in June, 9,206 in July and 20,536 in August.
Of the 95,451 patients hospitalised this year, 89,380 have recovered and been discharged, according to the DGHS.
