Nearly 1,000 people have died of dengue in Bangladesh this year, in what authorities say is the country's most severe outbreak of the disease yet. The death toll has exceeded the total of the last 22 years, with up to 20 people dying daily over the past two months.
Extraordinarily wet monsoons, linked to climate change, have created ideal breeding conditions for mosquitoes carrying the dengue virus in stagnant water. Officials have struggled to contain the spread, and hospitals are critically overwhelmed, especially in the capital Dhaka, where hundreds of patients seek treatment daily.
Public health experts note that the current outbreak is caused by a stronger strain of the virus, leading to faster deterioration in patients. Symptoms include headaches, nausea, joint and muscle pain, with severe cases causing internal bleeding that can be fatal.
Dengue, endemic in tropical countries, used to be seasonal in Bangladesh but has become more frequent since 2000 due to hotter and wetter monsoons. Infections have been reported in all 64 districts, according to the World Health Organization.
Hospitals are running short of intravenous fluids, crucial for treating dehydration in dengue patients. Public awareness campaigns have been launched to prevent mosquito breeding, but Dr Mushtaq Hussain, a public health expert, told the BBC Bengali service that long-term measures are lacking, as the disease is often seen as temporary.
