Dengue outbreak hits Bangladesh hard

The number of dengue fever cases has been soaring in Bangladesh, with more than 350 deaths from the illness registered since the start of last month.

The South Asian country experiences a dengue outbreak annually. But this year, it saw infection counts start to climb around May, which was earlier than usual.

In July, officials reported over 43,800 infections and 204 deaths. The tallies were 28 and 23 times higher respectively than the figures from the same month last year.

The outbreak has been growing even faster in August, with upward of 33,500 infections and 147 fatalities logged for the first 13 days of the month alone.

Officials warn that the infection number could break a record this month.

Footage taken at a hospital in the capital, Dhaka, shows children lying on the floor as all beds were occupied by dengue patients.

The mosquito-borne disease causes high fever and severe headaches, as well as pain in muscles and joints.

Officials are advising people to avoid mosquito bites through such measures as wearing long sleeves and long pants.

Source: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230814_04/