Dengue wave

Nurses in Dhaka, Bangladesh care for patients with dengue fever. Illustration image. Mohammad Ponir Hossain/REUTERS 

 

Dengue wave 

At least 200 dead in dengue fever in Bangladesh  

 

Dengue fever is spreading rapidly through densely populated Bangladesh, where over 200 deaths have been confirmed, writes Reuters.  

 

More than 37,000 cases have been reported so far this year and there are fears that the mosquito-borne disease could result in a record number of deaths and infections for the second year in a row.  

 

Hospitals, especially in the capital Dhaka, are struggling to accommodate the high number of patients suffering from high fever, joint pain and vomiting.  

 

Dengue fever is common in South Asia during the rainy season, which runs from June to September. A child is treated for dengue fever in Bangladesh. 

 

Illustration image from 2019. Mahmud Hossain Opu / AP  

 

Worrying about the fever: Not sending my daughter to school  

 

According to health experts, dengue fever in Bangladesh has already reached "epidemic proportions", reports Al Jazeera.  

 

During this year's rainy season, over 200 people have died and tens of thousands have contracted the disease, which is spread via mosquitoes. 

 

- I have stopped sending my daughter to school because some of her classmates are already infected, says Rashed Jitu, a businessman in Dhaka.  

 

Save the Children came out on Monday and warned that Bangladesh is about to face its worst outbreak in over five years. The organization believes that children under the age of 14 are particularly sensitive to the fever.