Bangladesh hits its worst dengue outbreak, with more than 1,000 dead this year

It is the worst epidemic of this disease, which is transmitted by mosquitoes, ever recorded in the country. More than 1,000 people have died from dengue fever in Bangladesh since the start of 2023. Figures from the Directorate General of Health Services published on Sunday evening October 1 report that 1,006 people have died, including 112 children less aged 15, including infants, out of more than 200,000 confirmed cases.

According to former director of health services Be-Nazir Ahmed, the number of deaths recorded since the start of the year is higher than in all previous years combined since 2000, when Bangladesh recorded its first outbreak of the disease. dengue. “This is a major health event, both in Bangladesh and around the world”he told AFP.

Precipitation and temperatures involved

Scientists attributed the 2023 outbreak to erratic rainfall and warmer temperatures during the annual monsoon, which created ideal breeding conditions for mosquitoes. In September, the World Health Organization warned: this type of epidemic is like “a canary in the coal mine of the climate crisis”declared agency specialist Abdi Mahamud, evoking the metaphor of the little bird which alerts of great danger.