Dengue: Awareness needed to save lives

Dengue is once again rearing its head. The number of cases is increasing daily. Without seeing dengue patients, one might not understand how a single mosquito can push a healthy person towards death. Due to advanced treatment for malaria, such deaths are now rarely seen. Malaria is now confined to hilly regions. On the other hand, dengue has spread beyond the capital to other cities and even to villages.

Let us look back a little. It was the year 2000, and Bangladesh was still relatively unfamiliar with this mosquito-borne disease. From the beginning of summer, the number of hospital patients started increasing. Fever, drop in blood platelet count, and plasma leakage marked the beginning of a death march that started in Dhaka. Gradually, people from various walks of life started being added to the death list. According to government data, 93 people died of dengue that year. The whole country was shaken. People became aware of a new disease called dengue, which proved to be highly dangerous. In the next two years, 44 and 58 people respectively died from dengue. After that, the prevalence of dengue decreased, and people became somewhat indifferent.

Exactly 18 years later, in 2019, dengue returned with a deadly blow. At that time, I was in charge of the control room of the Directorate General of Health Services. That year, over one lakh people were infected across the country. The death toll reached 179. I had to report the number of deaths every day. Listening to the stories of losing children and loved ones, I would return home every day with heavy eyes. Then in 2023, the highest number of 321,017 people were hospitalised with dengue. That year also saw the highest number of deaths—1,705 people. In 2024, 101,211 people were hospitalised with dengue, and 575 people died. This year, the outbreak of dengue is increasing again.

Dengue, caused by the Aedes mosquito, is a summer disease. It spreads through the bite of the Aedes mosquito. Dengue symptoms appear within three to fifteen days of infection. If you have fever, headache, vomiting, muscle and body pain, and rashes on the skin, you should understand that you have contracted dengue. Dengue usually resolves within two to seven days. In some cases, the disease takes a severe form known as Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever. Sometimes, patients experience shock syndrome. In dengue shock syndrome, blood pressure drops.

Some tests are conducted to confirm dengue, and others to identify complications. A complete blood count (CBC) test is usually important for dengue. Two types of tests are generally done to confirm the presence of the dengue virus. One is the NS1 antigen test, and the other is an antibody test. After the fever subsides or the patient begins to recover, the platelet count in the blood may drop, leading to bleeding and other complications. Therefore, after the fever subsides, doctors advise patients to remain cautious and follow prescribed guidelines.

To differentiate between normal fever and dengue fever, doctors do not rely only on visible symptoms, because sometimes symptoms are not clear in dengue patients. That is why doctors recommend some tests to diagnose dengue. One important test is the NS1 test. If done immediately after the onset of fever, the test result may be inaccurate. Therefore, to ensure 100 percent accuracy, this test should be done within 24 hours to three days of the onset of fever.

Before the monsoon, during the monsoon, and after the monsoon—mosquito surveys are conducted three times a year by the Disease Control Division of the Directorate General of Health Services. This year, even before the pre-monsoon survey was completed, a significant amount of Aedes mosquito larvae were found in households in Dhaka, which is cause for concern. Controlling the mosquito population is essential to reduce health and economic damage.

How can one be protected from dengue? Many people ask this question. The answer is that the places where mosquitoes lay eggs or where larvae grow must be destroyed. Therefore, water accumulated in any container inside or outside the house must be thrown away every three days. One must stay alert and also alert others. If people survive, the country survives.

Ayesha Akhter: Deputy Director, 250-bed TB Hospital, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka.