Dengue kills seven more in a day as 1,373 are admitted to hospital
Seven more people have died of dengue across the country in the past 24 hours. The deaths take this year's total toll from the mosquito-borne disease to 364.
Over the same period, 1,373 new dengue patients were admitted to hospitals. The figures were released on Wednesday (October 21) in the Directorate General of Health Services' regular dengue report.
The health directorate said all seven people who died in the past day were from the Dhaka South City Corporation area. In other words, the entire latest death toll occurred in the southern part of the capital.
Among the newly admitted patients, the highest number — 320 — were admitted in Dhaka Division outside the city corporation areas. Barishal Division followed with 225 admissions and Chattogram Division with 197.
Of Dhaka's two city corporations, 211 patients were admitted in the South City Corporation and 71 in the North City Corporation. This capital-centred pressure shows Dhaka remains the worst hit by the dengue outbreak.
Among the other divisions, 155 patients were admitted in Khulna, 111 in Rajshahi, 45 in Mymensingh, 28 in Rangpur and 10 in Sylhet Division.
From January 1 this year until Wednesday, a total of 364 people have died of dengue across the country. Of them, 178 died in Dhaka Division alone, including the two city corporations — nearly half of the total death toll.
Outside Dhaka, the highest number of deaths was in Khulna Division, with 65. In addition, 32 people died in Chattogram Division, 28 in Barishal, 27 in Mymensingh, 27 in Rajshahi, 7 in Rangpur and 4 in Sylhet Division.
Seven deaths and nearly one and a half thousand new admissions in a single day show that the dengue situation is still not under control. The pressure of new patients on hospitals is rising every day.
In particular, seven deaths in a day in Dhaka South City Corporation has created fresh concern over the capital's dengue situation. A large share of those infected are residents of the capital and its surrounding areas.
The health directorate is publishing updated figures every day in its regular report. All eyes will now be on which way the infection and death numbers move in the coming days.
