Dengue Cases Surge In Coastal Districts

Nearly half of the people affected by dengue outside Dhaka city are from 10 coastal districts, where the death rate is also higher. However, the reasons for the higher rates of infection and death in these coastal areas remain unclear.

Public health experts and entomologists suggest that the higher mortality rate from dengue in these districts is due to weak dengue management.

Mosquito control activities are still primarily confined to Dhaka. The lack of primary measures for dengue detection has also contributed to the higher death rates. According to the Directorate General of Health Services, as of now, 31,586 people have been infected and 84 have died from dengue in 64 districts outside Dhaka. Among these, 14,676 have been infected and 72 have died in the 10 coastal districts.

This means that 86% of the deaths outside Dhaka occurred in these districts.

Entomologist and Professor of Zoology at Jahangirnagar University, Kabirul Bashar, told *Kaler Kantho* that the situation outside Dhaka is unknown because no research is being conducted there. Typically, the Aedes aegypti mosquito spreads dengue in urban areas, while Aedes albopictus causes infections in rural areas.

It is necessary to investigate what is actually happening.

He mentioned that although Aedes albopictus is of the same genus as Aedes aegypti, it breeds more in water collected in tree cavities, between banana leaves, or in the roots left after cutting bamboo.

Cox's Bazar Has Highest Cases, Barisal Highest Deaths

Among the 10 coastal districts, Cox's Bazar has reported the highest number of dengue cases, with 4,030 infections and five deaths. Barisal has seen 1,366 infections and 25 deaths, while Bhola reported 482 cases with one death, and Chandpur 815 cases with no deaths. In Chittagong, there are 2,648 infections and 21 deaths, while Jashore has 709 infections and three deaths. Khulna has recorded 1,866 cases with 11 deaths, Pirojpur has 599 cases with two deaths, and Patuakhali has 858 infections and two deaths.

Dr. Mushtaq Hossain, an advisor at the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), mentioned to *Kaler Kantho* that there is no research on which types of Aedes mosquitoes are causing infections in these coastal districts. However, excessive rainfall in these areas might be a contributing factor, as both the virus and the vector were already present.

The higher mortality rate from dengue can be attributed to the weak dengue management in these districts. The absence of primary measures for identifying dengue leads to a higher death rate because patients come to hospitals for treatment at the last moment.

59% Infections Outside Dhaka

According to the latest data from the Directorate General of Health Services (as of 8 AM on Thursday), 447 new dengue patients were hospitalized across the country, with one death reported. This brings the total number of dengue cases this year to 54,702, with 269 deaths nationwide.

With the new admissions yesterday, the number of dengue patients hospitalized in various hospitals reached 54,225, marking the fourth highest number of hospitalized patients in a single year. Previously, 321,179 people were hospitalized in 2023, 101,354 in 2019, and 62,382 in 2022.

So far this year, the Aedes mosquito-borne disease has resulted in 269 deaths, the third highest mortality figure in a year. In the annual comparison, dengue claimed 1,705 lives in 2023, 281 in 2022, and 179 in 2019.

Dengue Outbreak Expected to Continue Until January

Entomologist Professor Kabirul Bashar predicts that dengue this year will not follow the usual pattern seen in previous years. The outbreak is expected to continue in November and December, potentially extending into January.

He explained that the mosquitoes that hatch from the water accumulated from today's rain could survive until December. During this time, the disease will spread.