Dhaka, Nov 18 (IANS) Four more people have died due to dengue in Bangladesh in 24 hours till Tuesday morning, increasing the number of fatalities from the mosquito-borne disease in the country to 343 in 2025, the local media reported.

During the same period, 920 more patients were admitted to hospital with viral fever, raising the total number of dengue patients to 86,924 in 2025, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), the United News of Bangladesh (UNB) reported.

According to the DGHS, new dengue cases were reported in Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) (211), Dhaka South City Corporation (151), Dhaka Division (147), Barishal Division (146), Chattogram Division (116), Khulna Division (72), Myemnsingh Division (65), Sylhet Division (10) and Rangpur Division (2).

As many as 575 people lost their lives due to dengue in 2024 while 1,705 people died of dengue in 2023.

On October 9, DGHS Director General Abu Jafor noted that the number of dengue cases in 2025 is higher than last year; however, the death rate is lower.

Speaking at a press briefing held over the ‘Typhoid Vaccination Campaign-2025’ at the Health Ministry, Abu Jafor said: “This year, the number of dengue infections is higher than last year, but the death rate in proportion to infections is lower,” the UNB reported.

He called breeding of mosquitoes and the destruction of their larvae important for preventing dengue. “People must use mosquito nets and take protective measures. These are mostly individual responsibilities. If we neglect these, it will be very difficult to eliminate dengue,” he said.

He stated, “Our data shows that over 50 per cent of dengue deaths in hospitals are occurring on the very first day of admission. This suggests that patients are seeking care too. We are doing our best to ensure proper management in hospitals.”

Abu Jafor called early diagnosis important and mentioned that dengue, if detected in the initial stage, can be treated at home with proper medical care. He said that lack of awareness, negligence and delay in seeking medical care as the main reasons for the increasing dengue death rate.

–IANS

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