Dengue: Thriving like an epidemic

According to some reports, Bangladesh has experienced a total of 114 fatalities from Dengue and this number is five times higher than the number of fatalities reported in 2022. Not only that, Dengue has already spread across 63 districts in the country. Besides, a pre-monsoon survey in June 2023 shows that, Aedes mosquito larvae in 20.40% of houses in Dhaka North City Corporation and 15.47% in Dhaka South City Corporation. July's Dengue cases and deaths in Dhaka City Corporation are higher than in the last two years, with Dhaka accounting for 80% of deaths and 64.5% of hospitalizations this year. DGHS reports that out of the 176 deaths from Dengue this year, 115 of them occurred in the first 23 days of July. In stark contrast, there were only 29 deaths during the same period last year. Again, the Bangladesh Shishu Hospital and Institute has introduced a dedicated dengue unit, and the 800-bed Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Hospital is now focused on handling dengue cases due to an increase in patients. Dr. Shatavisa Dhar mentioned that children have a 20% higher risk than adults to develop shock syndrome.


 Source: Google 

More than 170 dead as Bangladesh grapples with dengue ‘epidemic’ | Health News | Al Jazeera


Additionally, by analyzing those data Dengue poses a significant Public health threat, rapidly spreading through mosquito bites, especially this year. As we all know, The World Health Organization (WHO) includes Dengue in its top ten global health threats due to its widespread impact on public health. The Dengue outbreak in Bangladesh has escalated to a worrisome level, with a significant increase in both cases and fatalities.

 Dengue is mainly caused by a viral infection, and then transmission to humans. It occurs when infected female mosquitoes bite, with the Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus species being the primary carriers. There are four different types of the dengue virus (DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3, and DEN-4), and being infected with one type doesn't give immunity against the others.



Source: Google

Caution Advised Over Seasonal Dengue Fever (prd.go.th)

Symptoms that are seen: 

Dengue's symptoms may appear 4 to 10 days after a person is bitten by an infected mosquito. In the past, patients commonly presented with high fever ranging from 103-104°F. However, nowadays doctors are encountering cases where patients are exhibiting different types of symptoms. The symptoms are: 

1. Brain inflammation 

2. Low fever 

3. Could also cause no fever 

4. Nausea and persistent vomiting 

5. Diarrhea

6. Intense headache ( especially behind the eyes)

7. Water accumulation in the chest and abdomen 

8. Difficulties in measuring blood pressure 

9. Swelling of hands and feet

10. Severe stomach pain 

11. Difficulties in urination, and shortness of breath.


Source: Google

Dengue Fever Signs, symptoms & treatments - The New Nation (thedailynewnation.com)

In addition to that, those modified symptoms of the viral disease are causing patients to miss recognizing it in the early stages, which leads to late and critical hospitalization. For that reason, a significant number of patients fall victim to severe stroke. In some cases, patients can develop jaundice due to liver issues, experience renal failure from kidney damage, and in intense cases, patients might die.

Initiatives that must be taken:

To avoid Dengue, we should regularly inspect our surroundings and eliminate stagnant water sources like flower pots, discarded containers, and gutters where mosquitoes breed. Moreover, We can also apply mosquito repellents and wear protective clothing during peak mosquito activity hours to reduce mosquito bites and Dengue transmission. As well as we have to maintain clean living spaces and use window screens to prevent mosquitoes from entering homes.



Source: Google

Climate change threatens mountainous Nepal with a spike in dengue infections | Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance

Also, different governmental organizations have initiated diverse efforts to manage dengue. For example, administering medication through spraying, revoking the time off for government personnel, distributing complimentary aerosol products, and raising public consciousness through sanitation campaigns involving celebrities and many other measures. In addition, some hospitals have increased the number of beds for dengue patients and also scientists and doctors are trying their best to cure this disease.


Sumaia Alam Raisha 

The writer's name is Sumaia Alam Raisha. She completed her SSC from Monipur High School and her HSC from Dhaka Commerce College. Currently, she is studying at BRAC University in the MNS Department. As she is a Microbiology student she has a great fascination with microorganisms. For that reason, she chose Dengue for her blog writing as it is spreading like an epidemic in our country. By writing this blog she wants to make us aware of the situation as well as to show the current scenario of this concerning issue.



 




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