Three more people have died in the past 24 hours-one from dengue and two from Covid-19-highlighting the persistent public health challenges posed by the twin threats of the mosquito-borne disease and the lingering coronavirus pandemic.
According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), 262 new dengue patients were hospitalised across the country during the period, taking the total number of cases this year to 9,484. With the latest fatality, the dengue death toll has climbed to 41, including 18 in June alone.
Barishal continues to report the highest number of new admissions with 141 cases, followed by 48 in the Dhaka metropolitan area, 40 in Chattogram, 18 in the broader Dhaka Division, six each in Mymensingh and Khulna, and three in Sylhet. Currently, 1,063 dengue patients are undergoing treatment in hospitals across the country-312 in Dhaka and 751 in other divisions.
Last year, Bangladesh recorded 101,214 dengue hospitalisations and 575 deaths, the third-highest number of hospitalisations and the second-highest death toll since the DGHS began keeping records in 2000. The record was set in 2023, with 321,179 hospitalisations and 1,705 fatalities.
On the other hand, two more people died of Covid-19 during the 24 hours ending at 8:00 am on Saturday, bringing the death toll to 29,521 since March 2020. Seven new coronavirus cases were also confirmed from 181 samples tested, resulting in a daily positivity rate of 3.87 per cent.
To date, the total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Bangladesh stands at 2,052,080, with 535 of those reported in the current year.
Since its outbreak, Bangladesh has maintained an overall Covid-19 detection rate of 13.04 percent. The country reported its first coronavirus fatality on 18 March 2020, with the highest single-day death tolls-264-recorded on both 5 and 10 August in 2021.
Health officials have urged the public to remain alert, follow hygiene and vector control measures, and seek prompt treatment for symptoms of either disease.
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