Bangladesh’s dengue situation has taken a turn for the worse, with 79 deaths reported in the first 17 days of September, the highest monthly death toll so far this year.
According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), a total of 176 dengue patients have died from the mosquito-borne disease since January 1 this year.
Of them, two died in January, two in February, one in May, 13 in June, 36 in July and 43 in August.
September alone accounted for 79 fatalities, representing around 44.89 percent of the total deaths recorded so far this year.
Besides, a total of 22,554 dengue patients were admitted to hospitals across the country in the first 17 days of September, which is also the highest monthly figure so far this year.
In August, a total of 22,536 patients were admitted to hospitals.
Meanwhile, September 8 was the deadliest day of the year so far, with the highest nine dengue-related deaths recorded in a single day.
However, no dengue deaths were recorded in March and April.
Five more people died of dengue, and 1,484 new patients were hospitalised across the country in the 24 hours until 8:00am on Thursday.
Of the deaths, four were reported in Dhaka North City Corporation, while the other death was recorded in Rangpur division.
Since January 1 this year, a total of 58,400 dengue patients have been admitted to hospitals across the country. Of them, 54,092 have recovered.