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Climate change

Bangladesh Grapples with Worst Dengue Outbreak in History

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Bangladesh has been plagued by one of the worst dengue outbreaks in recent history, with a record 1,705 deaths and a case fatality rate (CFR) of 0.5 percent, the highest in the world. The outbreak, which began in 2023, has put a significant strain on the country's already fragile healthcare system, particularly affecting the poor and vulnerable populations. Despite the scale of the outbreak, the government and health experts are only now acknowledging the need for a decentralized healthcare system and an early warning system to detect and respond to dengue cases.

Key Takeaways:

  • The 2023 dengue outbreak in Bangladesh resulted in 1,705 deaths, the highest in the world, and a case fatality rate (CFR) of 0.5 percent.
  • The CFR has been consistently high in Bangladesh, exceeding 2 percent in 2003 and above 1.5 percent in 2000, 2001, and 2010.
  • Over 37,200 dengue cases were reported in Bangladesh in 2023, with nearly 7,500 cases in children under the age of 18.
  • Children accounted for 24 of the 147 deaths in 2023, and obese children and elderly people with comorbidities are most exposed to dengue fatality.
  • The high CFR is due to late hospitalization of dengue patients, mainly due to the unavailability of primary healthcare services in rural Bangladesh.
  • Experts have called for an early dengue warning system, decentralization of healthcare services, and expanded public healthcare to reduce the number of critical cases and deaths.

Statistics:

  • 1,705 deaths in 2023, the highest in the world
  • CFR of 0.5 percent in 2023, the highest in the world
  • 37,200 dengue cases in 2023
  • Nearly 7,500 dengue cases in children under the age of 18 in 2023
  • 24 deaths in children under the age of 18 in 2023
  • Average economic cost of treating a dengue patient: Tk 33,817 in 2019
  • 2023 study estimated the annual economic cost of dengue disease in India in 2016: $5.71 billion
  • Capacity of mosquitoes to transmit dengue fever increased by up to 9.5 percent globally since 1950

Sources:

  • The New Nation, September 18 (quoted text is from this source)
  • Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies, 2019 dengue outbreak study
  • World Bank report, October 2021
  • IPCC's sixth assessment report
  • HT Digital Content Services, published with permission from The New Nation

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