Chattogram records over 1,200 dengue cases in August alone

Dengue infections are rising sharply in Chattogram, with 1,202 cases recorded in August alone, accounting for more than half of the 2,186 cases reported in the district so far this year.

According to the latest report from the Chattogram Civil Surgeon’s Office, 78 new dengue cases were detected in the past 24 hours, while a 47-year-old woman, Khaleda Begum, died of the disease.

The latest death brings the district’s dengue toll this year to six, including three women and three men.

Of the 2,186 patients diagnosed this year, 936 are from Chattogram city, 955 from different areas of the district and 295 from outside Chattogram who sought treatment there. The patients include 1,151 men, 602 women and 433 children.

At present, 187 dengue patients are receiving treatment at hospitals across Chattogram. A total of 1,847 patients have been admitted to government hospitals and 339 to private facilities this year.

The outbreak remained relatively limited during the first five months, when 176 patients were hospitalised. The number rose to 122 in June and increased sharply in July, reaching 472 cases by the middle of the month.

The situation deteriorated further in August, when 1,202 cases were reported in a single month. Another 78 cases recorded in the latest 24-hour period took the cumulative total to 2,186, up from 2,108 reported in the previous daily update.

Health officials and experts have stressed the need to eliminate potential breeding grounds for Aedes mosquitoes, particularly stagnant water around construction sites, abandoned structures, rooftops and open spaces.

Chattogram Civil Surgeon Dr Mohammad Sajedur Rahman urged residents to prevent water from accumulating around their homes and seek medical advice promptly if fever or other symptoms of dengue develop.

He also advised hospitals to keep dengue patients under mosquito nets to prevent mosquitoes from becoming infected by patients and transmitting the virus to others.