Refinitiv Newscasts - Bangladesh sees record death toll from dengue

Aedes Ligure per Imprese e Costruzioni SpA

04/08/2023 19:42

Click the following link to watch video: https://share.newscasts.refinitiv.com/link?entryId=1_h2dkhuv5&referenceId=tag:reuters.com,2023:newsml_RW236804082023RP1_K15&pageId=RefinitivNewscasts
Source: Thomson Reuters

Description: Hospitals in Dhaka struggled to make space for the high number of
Dengue patients on Friday (August 4) as Bangladesh saw a record number of
deaths for the second consecutive year. Alex Cohen has more.
Short Link: https://refini.tv/459YOiu

Video Transcript:

Hospitals in Bangladesh on Friday were overflowing with patients suffering
from Dengue, amid a record number of deaths from the virus for the second year
in a row. Shariful Islam is watching over his family members who are on the
floor of this Dhaka hospital.

Since we came here, the doctors and nurses told us that they cannot provide us
with a proper bed. But if we stay, they would treat us. We had no other choice
but to arrange things on the floor for my mother and sister.

The mosquito-borne virus has led to nearly 300 deaths, a record for the
country, and more than 37,000 infections according to official figures as of
Thursday. Health officials said patients are suffering from high fever, joint
pain and vomiting. There is no vaccine or drug that specifically treats
dengue, which is common in South Asia during the June-to-September monsoon
season as the Aedes aegypti mosquito which spreads the virus thrives in
stagnant water. Early detection and access to proper medical care, however,
can reduce deaths to fewer than 1% of patients. Jahangirnagar University
Professor of Entomology, Kabirul Bashar expects the case numbers to keep
rising.

When the pre-monsoon rains started in April, so did the Aedes mosquito
breeding. The virus had already spread within the community therefore it was
also being transmitted. This is the reason why we are seeing such a high
number of dengue cases in July. This will probably increase further in August
and September.

The government has launched an awareness campaign to limit the spread of the
disease and efforts to kill mosquito larvae following a spell of rains,
according to the health minister