Bangladesh healthcare under strain as dengue cases hike amid measles burden

Dhaka, July 2 (IANS) As Bangladesh continues to grapple with a public health crisis, hospitals remain overwhelmed by more than 900 daily measles admissions, while health experts warned that a rise in dengue cases could place further strain on the healthcare system and increase the risk of additional deaths, local media reported on Thursday.

Reports suggest that major public hospitals in Dhaka, which have treated thousands of dengue patients during past outbreaks, remain heavily burdened by measles cases. Experts cautioned that any surge in dengue infections could place additional pressure on already limited healthcare resources and disrupt delivery of medical care.

The dengue situation deteriorated in June, with rising infections and fatalities — accounting for 48 per cent of all cases and 72 per cent of deaths recorded so far this year, leading Bangladeshi newspaper The Daily Star reported.

Health experts warned that both figures could climb further during the peak monsoon months of July and August unless authorities strengthen measures to curb dengue-carrying Aedes mosquitoes.

Fazle Rabbi Chowdhury, associate professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at Bangladesh Medical University (BMU), said that although measles cases have started to decline, the pace has been slower than expected.

“At the same time, the monsoon is creating ideal conditions for mosquito breeding, and dengue cases have already started rising. This will definitely put additional pressure on hospitals,” The Daily Star quoted Chowdhury as saying.

To prevent the situation from escalating into a larger public health crisis, he and other experts called on the Bangladeshi authorities to boost larval control measures, expand temporary treatment facilities, and set up dedicated dengue units to ease the dual disease burden.

Meanwhile, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) recorded 718 fatalities from measles or measles-like symptoms between March 15 and June 30, with more than 113,000 patients — mostly children — being hospitalised.

Although an emergency measles-rubella vaccination campaign in April and May covered 18.4 million children and slowed the spread of the disease, hospitals continue to admit large numbers of patients daily.

Between March 15 and June 30, the hospitals reportedly admitted 85,509 patients with measles or measles-like symptoms, of whom 81,882 have been discharged, and 3,627 are still undergoing treatment.

At the same time, dengue cases have been climbing with the onset of the monsoon, with the country recording 18 dengue-related deaths so far this year, including 13 deaths, 72 per cent of the total, in June alone.

Kabirul Bashar, an entomologist at Jahangirnagar University, cautioned that dengue cases are expected to surge over the next two months, with districts outside Dhaka likely to face the greatest risk.

“Based on our forecasting model, a major surge is expected in August, particularly in districts under Barishal and Chattogram divisions, as well as several other parts of the country,” he told The Daily Star.

–IANS

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