Over the past 24 hours, 13 more lives have been claimed by dengue fever, with three of those fatalities occurring in Dhaka as of Wednesday morning, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
This unfortunate surge brings the total death count to a staggering 1,122, with Dhaka alone accounting for 703 of these casualties, the DGHS report said.
In addition to the rising death toll, the DGHS has recorded 2,425 new hospitalisations nationwide during the same timeframe.
Among these, 579 cases were reported in Dhaka. These figures paint a distressing picture of the worsening dengue situation, marked by a growing number of fatalities and infections.
Health authorities are particularly concerned about the expanding footprint of dengue, as new cases are now emerging outside of Dhaka. The DGHS has reported 1,846 new hospitalisations outside of Dhaka.
It is estimated that the mortality rate among hospitalised patients currently stands at approximately 0.5 percent. To provide context, last year saw 281 dengue-related deaths, making it the second-highest death toll in the country's history.
Moreover, the total number of dengue cases has surged to 231,204, with Dhaka alone accounting for a significant portion at 90,039 cases, as reported by the DGHS.
Breaking down the data, within Dhaka, there were 51,697 male patients and 38,342 female patients. Outside the capital city, there were 88,121 male patients and 53,044 female patients.
Presently, there are 8,647 patients currently under medical care in hospitals nationwide, with 2,690 of them in Dhaka.
A significant number of patients, totaling 221,435, have successfully recovered and returned home, including 86,646 from Dhaka.
Meanwhile, UNB report from Savar adds: Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen today said that President Xi Jinping and and the Chinese government are "deeply concerned" on the dengue epidemic in Bangladesh and announced that China will provide anti-dengue aid worth 25 million RMB (USD 3.5 million) to Bangladesh.
"Today, The Chinese Embassy in Bangladesh is handing over 700 sets of Dengue kits to Enam Medical College and Hospital, which would meet the demand of tests for over 18,000 people," he said at the hospital in Savar.
This marks only a starting point, and there will be more anti-dengue aid in larger scale coming from China in a few days, said the ambassador.
"With our joint effort in mitigating the current dengue surge, the bond of friendship between the two countries and peoples would be further enhanced," said Ambassador Yao.
As a time-tested friend and strategic partner of Bangladesh, the envoy said, China is committed to working with Bangladesh in addressing public health challenges, which was manifested by their joint fight against the Covid-19 pandemic over the past three years.
State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief, Dr Md. Enamur Rahman, and Chief Executive Officer of Enam Medical College and Hospital, Dr. Anawarul Quader Nazim, among others, were present.
"This year by far, we have witnessed the severest dengue epidemic in Bangladesh's history, causing grief to thousands of families while exerting unbearable pressure on the local hospital system," Ambassador Yao said.
He expressed his deepest sympathy for those who died of the disease and his sincerest condolences to their family members.
"I salute, with highest respect, the doctors and medical workers who have fought sleeplessly on the front for months. You have saved the lives of many. Your hard work is highly appreciated," he said.
At this critical moment of combating dengue, China stands with Bangladesh like always, he said.
Chinese President Xi Jinping met Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during the BRICS summit in Johannesburg in August.
President Xi emphasized that both China and Bangladesh are at a critical stage of their own development and revitalization, and the Chinese side stands ready to strengthen the synergy of development strategies with Bangladesh, push bilateral strategic cooperative partnership to a new level, and better benefit the people of the two countries.
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