Dhaka is experiencing a surge in dengue cases, with the southern part of the city being particularly affected.

As of September, more than 25% of all reported cases and the majority of deaths have occurred in Dhaka south.

While the overall number of cases is lower this year compared to last, health officials are concerned due to a recent spike in hospital admissions.

So far this year, dengue has claimed 97 lives and led to 16,285 hospitalizations. In contrast, by the same date last year (September 9), there had been 716 deaths and 145,335 infections. This marks a notable decrease in cases compared to last year.

The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) reported that last year saw a record 321,179 dengue cases, with the majority occurring from May to December.

This year, however, over 1,000 cases were recorded as early as January, a figure that was unprecedented. For comparison, January 2021 saw 32 cases, while January 2022 had 126.

According to DGHS data, this year, 14 people died from dengue in January, three in February, and five in March.

In contrast, last year recorded six deaths in January, three in February, and none in March.

Both January to May of 2021 and 2022 saw no dengue-related deaths.

Analysis indicates that dengue cases began to rise in July last year. In July 2023, there were 43,854 hospital admissions, which increased to 71,976 in August and then decreased to 21,527 in September. This year, however, has experienced fewer cases.

Analysis reveals that the majority of this year's dengue cases are concentrated in the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) area.

Approximately 25% of all reported cases since January 1 have been in DSCC, which has also been responsible for more than half of the dengue-related deaths. Out of the total 97 deaths, 58 occurred in DSCC, which has reported 4,201 confirmed cases.

In comparison, the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) has seen 2,767 cases and eight deaths.

In the 24 hours leading up to Monday morning, 615 new dengue patients were hospitalized nationwide, with one death reported during this period.

According to the Health Emergency Operation Centre and Control Room of the DGHS, this marks the first instance this year of such a high number of admissions in a single day.

The majority of these admissions occurred in the DNCC, with 175 patients, while the DSCC had 137.

According to the DGHS, Chittagong division has reported the highest number of dengue cases outside Dhaka. To date, 45 patients have been hospitalized in the Chittagong City Corporation area, while 4,300 have been admitted in the surrounding areas.

Additionally, 1,694 patients have been hospitalized outside the Barishal City Corporation area, 1,151 outside Khulna, 312 outside Mymensingh, 178 outside Rajshahi, and 50 outside Rangpur city corporations.

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