Two people die of dengue in Khulna, Mymensingh

Two people, including a woman, died of mosquito-borne disease dengue in Khulna and Mymensingh on Wednesday.

In Mymensingh, Hafizul Islam, 30, a readymade garment worker from Trishal upazila, died while being taken to Dhaka from Mymensingh Medical College Hospital (MMCH) in the morning.

Dr Laxmi Narayan Majumdar, deputy director of MMCH, said Hafizul was diagnosed with dengue when he was in Dhaka.

He returned home after receiving treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH).

“Hafizul came to MMCH with high fever on Tuesday night,” Majumdar said.

Doctors at the emergency suggested shifting him to DMCH for better treatment. “He died around 3am while being taken to Dhaka,” the MMCH deputy director said.

In Khulna, a dengue patient died at the Khulna Medical College Hospital.

The deceased, Shahida Begum, 50, wife of Saidur Rahman of Pirojpur, was hospitalised with dengue fever around 8:45pm on Tuesday.

“She died around 5:30am,” said Dr Soirandranath Biswas, resident physician of the hospital.

Six people have so far died of dengue at the hospital.

Dengue, a mosquito-borne viral infection, causes flu-like illness, and occasionally develops into a potentially lethal complication called severe dengue. About half of the world's population is now at risk, the WHO says.

Southeast Asian countries are seeing huge increases in fatal dengue cases this year. There is no specific treatment for dengue or severe dengue, but early detection and access to proper medical care lowers fatality rates below one percent.

The government said 66,064 patients were hospitalised with the disease since January 1. Of them, 60,569 were discharged after recovery.

In 24 hours till 8am on Tuesday, 1,299 new dengue patients were hospitalised and 608 of the cases were recorded in Dhaka alone.

Currently, 5,322 people are being treated at different hospitals and clinics, according to the government. Of them, 2,999 are in Dhaka and 2,323 outside the capital.

The government has so far confirmed the death of 52 people from dengue after reviewing the death of 88 people.