Dengue fever outbreak spreads

DHAKA, Bangladesh — Bangladesh is facing its worstever dengue fever outbreak as hospitals are flooded with patients, putting a severe strain on the country’s already overwhelmed medical system.

The mosquitoborne viral infection has spread across the country, with 61 out of 64 districts reporting dengue cases by late Tuesday.

The government has confirmed 15,369 dengue cases since Jan. 1. Of those, 9,683 patients were diagnosed between July 1 and July 30. As of Tuesday, about 4,400 patients, including many children, were undergoing hospital treatment. There have been 14 deaths.

Dengue is found in tropical areas around the world and is spread by a type of mosquito that mainly lives in urban areas. The virus causes severe flulike symptoms, and while there is no specific treatment for the illness, medical care to maintain a person’s fluid levels is seen as critical.

There are fears that the situation in the countryside will worsen as many residents of the city travel to villages to celebrate EidulAdha next month. Infected humans can serve as a source of the virus for uninfected mosquitoes.

Ayesha Akhter, assistant director at the Directorate General of Health Services under the Ministry of Health, said an outbreak of dengue has accompanied every monsoon since 2000, but this year’s situation is the worst.

A DGHS study identified a sixfold increase in the Aedes aegypti mosquito population in four months in Dhaka as the primary cause of the largerthanaverage outbreak.