Dengue Claims Two More Lives in Bangladesh's Khulna and Barishal

Two more people died after contracting dengue in Bangladesh's Khulna and Barishal on September 24. The country is witnessing a surge in mosquito-borne diseases like dengue, malaria and chikungunya after incessant rains created favourable conditions for the breeding of the Aedes aegypti mosquito which is the main vector that transmits the viruses that cause dengue and other vector-borne diseases.

The deceased in Khulna is Md Abdur Rouf, 35, of Radhanagar village in Bagharpara upazila of Jashore. He had been suffering from fever for the last few days and was undergoing treatment at Khulna Medical College Hospital (KMCH), reported The Daily Star.

The report further cited Partha Pratim debnath, assistant registrar of the medicine department at KMCH, who stated that Rouf was admitted to the Khulna Medical College Hospital on Monday evening in critical condition. According to Debnath, Rouf died of dengue shock syndrome at around 5am at the hospital.

Notably, dengue shock syndrome or dengue hemorrhagic fever starts abruptly with high continuous fever and headache plus respiratory and intestinal symptoms with sore throat, cough, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Shock occurs after 2 to 6 days with sudden collapse, cool clammy extremities, weak thready pulse, and blueness around the mouth. There can also be easy bruising, blood spots in skin, spitting up of blood with bleeding gums and nosebleeds.

According to Atiar Rahman Sheikh, assistant civil surgeon of Khulna, 15 people including nine women died of dengue in Khulna. Of them, 12 died in KMCH.

From Barishal, Syeda Baru Bibi, 60, of Sadar upazila in Patuakhali died at Barishal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital in the afternoon as well.

According to Dr Bakir Hossain, director of the hospital, Syed was admitted to the dengue ward on Monday and she died at 2.20pm while undergoing treatment. He further revealed that 10 dengue patients have died in the hospital since July 16.

With Rouf and Sydea, the death toll from dengue has reached 155 in Bangladesh, but ther Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), however, has so far confirmed 75 deaths from dengue.

According to DGHS data, a total of 85,757 people were admitted to hospitals across the country this year, of which 46,415 were in Dhaka.