Dengue Threatens Again, Delayed Diagnosis Increases Complications

Dengue is not just threatening urban areas but also rural regions, with insufficient mosquito control efforts in place. Delays in diagnosing the disease are exacerbating complications for many patients.

For the past few days, the country has experienced intermittent rainfall, sometimes light, sometimes heavy, raising concerns about a dengue outbreak this season.

In anticipation of the potential dengue risk, various initiatives have been launched. These include spraying insecticides to kill mosquitoes and conducting mobile court operations to destroy mosquito breeding sites, resulting in fines and imprisonment. However, most of these visible efforts are city-centric. Is dengue solely an urban disease?

Data from the Directorate General of Health Services indicates that in the first six months of this year, 65% of dengue cases were reported outside Dhaka. Last year, this figure was 23.50% during the same period, and in 2022, it was 12.40%. Thus, the incidence of dengue outside Dhaka has nearly tripled.

In this context, hospitals in the capital are seeing an influx of patients from outside Dhaka, many of whom are presenting with severe complications. Doctors attribute this to delays in diagnosis.

Dr. Md. Niyatuzzaman, director of Mugda Medical College Hospital, told Somoy Sangbad, "Patients coming from outside Dhaka often do not receive a correct diagnosis promptly. By the time they learn about their condition, they are at significant risk."

Experts emphasize the need for a nationwide approach to control dengue, rather than focusing solely on urban areas.

Public health expert Dr. Be-Nazir Ahmed stated, "We need to move away from the idea that dengue is only a problem for Dhaka city. In 2023, the main risk was for Dhaka's 20 million residents. Now, the entire population of 180 million is at risk. Therefore, we urgently need to develop a technically sound and implementable action plan."

This year, dengue has already infected more than 3,500 people across the country, with 44 fatalities reported