At least 45 people died of dengue in the 18 days of September, already making it the deadliest month in terms of fatalities this year, with 12 days still remaining.
The death figure surpassed this year鈥檚 previous highest of 41 fatalities in July.
The country also saw the highest single-day toll on Thursday, as six people died in the 24 hours till 8:00am, the Directorate General of Health Services said.
At least 647 patients were hospitalised in the same period.
This has pushed the death toll from the Aedes mosquito-borne virus to 167 since January, with 40,461 hospitalisations.
Officials admitted that the real figures were higher as data came only from selected facilities.
According to the DGHS, the latest deaths included five women and one man, aged between 16 and 63.
Two of the new deaths were reported in Dhaka North City Corporation area hospitals, two in Dhaka South City Corporation, one in Barishal division and another in Chattogram division area hospitals.
Bangladesh also witnessed deaths from dengue in other months. At least 10 people died in January, three in February, seven in April, three in May, 19 in June, 41 in July, and 39 in August. No deaths were reported in March.
Monthly data show 1,161 hospitalisations in January, 374 in February, 336 in March, 701 in April, 1,773 in May, 5,951 in June, 10,684 in July and 10,496 in August.
As of now, 2,042 dengue patients are receiving treatment across hospitals in Bangladesh. Of these, 717 are in hospitals in Dhaka, while 1,325 are in hospitals outside the capital.
The Directorate General of Health Services on Tuesday issued a 12-point directive asking hospitals to prioritise dengue treatment as hospitalisations and deaths continue to rise across the country.
The DGHS asked hospitals to form specialist-led medical boards to supervise dengue and chikungunya treatment. ICU support must be prioritised for critical patients, while suspected cases should receive urgent NS1 tests and round-the-clock diagnostic and treatment services.
It also instructed hospitals to allocate designated wards or areas for admitted patients and assign dedicated doctors and residents under the medical board for exclusive care.
An epidemiologist and former director of the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research AM Zakir Hussain said that the Aedes were getting a suitable rain and temperature for more breeding now.
鈥楧engue usually peaks in July, but this year rain has continued into September. We fear cases will not come under control immediately. Numbers may only begin to fall slowly from October,鈥� he warned.
The Dhaka South City Corporation鈥檚 acting chief health officer, Dr Nishat Parveen, said that dengue cases in the capital were still climbing despite intensified control efforts.
She said that the city corporation was doing its best with available facilities.
She emphasised the need for proper treatment and public awareness to reduce mosquito bites.
Bangladesh has faced recurring dengue outbreaks since its first official one in 2000, when 93 people died and 5,551 were hospitalised. The situation has worsened in recent years: dengue claimed 1,705 lives and led to 3,21,179 hospitalisations in 2023 alone, compared with 853 deaths and 244,246 hospitalisations in the entire period between 2000 and 2022.
Past year, the country suffered another severe wave, with 575 deaths and 1,01,214 reported cases.
Public health experts now fear Bangladesh is entering another prolonged season of high dengue transmission, driven by climate variability, urban crowding, and weak mosquito-control measures.
