Dengue onslaught continues; kills 4 more including health assistant

Four more people, including a health assistant and a woman, have lost their battle against dengue disease as the number of patients infected with the mosquito-borne virus has begun surging again across the country, reports UNB.

The fresh deaths were recorded from Wednesday evening to Thursday afternoon in Dhaka, Chandpur and Magura districts.

In Dhaka, Mousumi Akhter, 25, wife of Md Mamun of Bhandaria, died of the mosquito-borne disease at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) on Thursday.

Tapan Kumar Mondal, a health assistant, who was working under the dengue awareness campaign of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), died of the mosquito-borne disease at the Bangladesh Medical College Hospital in Dhanmondi around 4:30pm on Thursday.

The victim’s relative Nitya Gopal Tutu told UNB that Tapan, a health assistant under Madaripur Sadar Health Complex, was posted in the DSCC two weeks ago following the dengue outbreak. He was working in Ward-58 under Zone-10 of the DSCC to raise awareness against dengue.

As he fell sick on Saturday, the health assistant went to Dhaka Medical College Hospital where he was diagnosed with dengue. However, he went back to Madaripur.

As his condition was deteriorating, he first received treatment in Madaripur and then at Faridpur Sadar Hospital, Tutu said.

Tapan was admitted to Bangladesh Medical College Hospital on Wednesday where he died, he said.

In Chandpur, Abu Bakar Shihab, a madrasa student and a resident of Tamta Paschimpara in Shahrasti upazila, died of dengue on Wednesday evening.

In Magura, Joynal Sharif, 53, died of dengue at his residence at Narsinghati village in Sadar upazila on Thursday afternoon, said civil surgeon physician Pradip Kumar Saha.

Meanwhile, at least 1,929 new patients infected with the mosquito-borne disease were admitted to hospitals across the country in the 24 hours until 8:00am on Thursday, according to the Health Emergency Operation Centre and Control Room of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

A total of 1,880 dengue patients were admitted to hospitals on Wednesday while 1,200 on Tuesday.

The DGHS said 48,280 people were hospitalised with dengue since January this year. Of them, 40, 670 had made full recovery.

Currently, 7, 570 patients are undergoing treatment at different hospitals and clinics. Of them, 3,910 ones are receiving treatment at 40 public and private hospitals in Dhaka.

Bangladesh is grappling with its worst outbreak of dengue. Dhaka, the densely-populated megacity, has been at the centre of the outbreak.

There is no specific treatment for dengue or severe dengue, WHO says. But early detection and access to proper medical care lowers fatality rates below one per cent.