Although the number of dengue infections was higher than last year but the death rate was lower, said Directorate General of Health Services director general Professor Md Abu Jafor on Thursday.
鈥楾his year, the number of dengue infections is higher than last year, but the death rate in proportion to infections is lower,鈥� he said at a press briefing held over the 鈥楾yphoid Vaccination Capaign-2025鈥� at the health ministry in Dhaka.
Meanwhile, four more deaths from dengue were reported in the 24 hours till Thursday morning, raising the number of deaths from the mosquito-borne disease to 224 this year.
During this period, 781 more patients were hospitalised with viral fever, bringing the number of cases to 52,885, according to the DGHS.
The new deaths were reported in Dhaka South City Corporation and Dhaka North City Corporation.
Currently, 2,452 patients are undergoing treatment at various hospitals across the country.
Professor Abu Jafor said that the breeding of mosquitoes and the destruction of their larvae were keys for preventing dengue. 鈥楶eople 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.鈥�
鈥極ur 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,鈥� he said.
He said that early diagnosis was essential and if detected in the initial stage, dengue could be treated at home with proper medical advice.
Lack of awareness, negligence and delay in seeking care are the main reasons behind the rising dengue death rate, he added.
Additional secretary of health services division ATM Saiful Islam said that in 2023, over 3,00,000 people were infected with dengue and nearly 1,750 died while in 2024, there were around 1.5 lakh cases with about 520 deaths.
鈥楢lthough we haven鈥檛 been able to completely eliminate dengue, we are moving toward success thanks to the government鈥檚 ongoing efforts. Our goal is to reduce future deaths to zero and we are striving to prevent as many cases as possible,鈥� said the additional secretary.