Health experts in Bangladesh believe that the current dengue situation in the country is already an epidemic as thousands have been infected by the disease and hundreds have died from it.
Despite this, the government is avoiding declaring the situation an epidemic, and experts say the reason is merely political.
Bangladesh’s current situation sparks concerns
Since July, Bangladesh has experienced monthly surges in dengue cases, with death tolls surpassing the nation’s historical averages.
According to the Directorate General of Health Services, the month of October was the deadliest of the year, with 80 deaths and more than 2,200 infections, as reported by the Dhaka Tribune.
In July, 41 people died of dengue, while August saw a slight decline with 39 deaths.
However, fatalities rose three-fold in September (76) and October, and there were 20 deaths in the first week of November alone.
As a result, Dhaka hospitals admitted more than 1,000 new patients per day in the worst times, leading to a shortage of beds.
For Dr Kabirul Bashar, a prominent entomologist, the shift is not just numerical but structural.
“Aedes mosquitoes are now breeding year-round,” he explains.
“Once we could say dengue starts with the rain. Now there is no season. Dengue has become endemic.”
Many are also worried that the actual number of dengue cases in the country might be higher than previously thought as many mild or moderate infections go unrecorded, particularly in areas outside the capital.
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Dengue cases now an ‘epidemic’
Health experts contend that dengue in Bangladesh can already be considered an epidemic by global health standards.
They argue that the consistent daily spiking of cases and overwhelmed hospitals across the nation meet the World Health Organization’s threshold for such a designation.
Yet, the government refuses to declare it as one, because doing so would apparently mean a subtle admittance of its failure to prevent the spread of the disease in the first place.
Bashar agrees that the reason for the silence is merely political, with authorities fearing panic, criticism and accountability above all.
“So they avoid the word entirely,” he says.
Public health workers are likewise criticising the government’s continued denial of the situation.
Indeed, preventive medicine specialist Dr MH Choudhury Lelin considers the current crisis “a public health emergency that no one wants to own”.
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Experts call for immediate action
With the situation continuing to worsen, experts are calling on the government to act swiftly and declare an epidemic in order to prevent further spread of the disease.
Bashar emphasises that the government should implement a scientific approach to vector control and strengthen collaboration amongst agencies.
He adds that the country needs an integrated mosquito management programme combining surveillance, larval source reduction, and community education.
Lelin, meanwhile, says acknowledgement of public suffering is the first step and urges the government to declare an epidemic as that would allow for the mobilisation of response systems that could protect people from the disease.
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