Staff Correspondent: Dhak, Aug-10,

As many as 226 new patients were hospitalized in 24 hours until Tuesday morning as dengue infections keep rising,  in Bangladesh amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Bangladesh started seeing an uptrend in dengue cases from June with the advent of the monsoon. Since August 1, the country has been seeing over 200 dengue cases every day.

Of the new dengue cases, 211 were reported in Dhaka while the remaining 15 were from outside the division, said the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

According to the (DGHS), 915 patients are currently receiving treatment at different hospitals across the country. Of them, 852 patients were reported to be admitted to hospitals in Dhaka and the rest in other divisions.

Some 4,979 patients have been admitted to different hospitals with dengue since January and 4,046 of them have been released after they recovered.

DGHS spokesperson Prof Nazmul Islam told the media that there is a possibility that the number of dengue cases will rise further in August due to suitable breeding conditions. “Aedes mosquito breeding increases in stagnant water due to heavy rains in August,” he said.

So far, 18 suspected deaths caused by dengue were reported to the Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) but none of them had been reviewed and confirmed yet, said the DGHS.

Dengue fever was first reported in Bangladesh in 2000, claiming 93 lives that year.

According to official statistics, 101,354 dengue cases and 179 deaths were recorded in Bangladesh in 2019, the worst the country has ever experienced.

About 50,974 people were infected with dengue in August 2019 though only 50,166 dengue cases were recorded in the previous 18 years from 2000 to 2018.

If a similar scenario repeats, the health system, which is already on the brink, might completely collapse and create a catastrophic situation in the country in addition to the Covid-19 pandemic, experts warned.

End/Dct/Msi/Sma/