NewsDesk @bactiman63

Bangladesh may see record numbers of dengue cases in the current 2023 outbreak. Through August 6, 66,732 total dengue cases have been reported nationwide.

In order top be the worst year for number of cases, it would have to surpass the 101,350 cases of 2019.

However, the record for number of dengue deaths in a single year has already been squashed. With 10 additional deaths reported today brings the total to 313- far eclipsing the record of 281 last year.

While the capital city of Dhaka has report the most cases with more than 35,000 cases to date, Professor Dr Md Shahadat Hossain, director of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) offers some hopeful news:

“Last year, dengue cases started declining in October, but this year, there is hope it could be as early as August. Tackling the dengue outbreak in August would bring some relief and enable a more comfortable situation for the public.

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“In Dhaka, the number of cases has stabilized compared to the previous period. Although there is an increase in cases outside Dhaka, the rate of increase is not as high as before, providing a stable point for managing patients. The goal is to move from this stable point to a decline in cases, which would alleviate the burden on hospitals.”

Concerning the use of a dengue vaccine in Bangladesh, perhaps the best hope for Bangladesh, the country has no immediate plans to roll out either the Sanofi Pasteur dengue vaccine, which is only recommended for individuals previously infected with dengue, or the newer product developed by Takeda.