Dengue devastation continues in Bangladesh, hospitals crammed with patients

DHAKA, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Bangladesh on Monday registered 18 more deaths from dengue, the second highest in a 24-hour count since January, taking the toll from the disease this year to 416, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) reported.

The total number of dengue fever cases has reached 87,891 since January in the South Asian country.

Amid the rising dengue cases, hospitals and clinics in the capital Dhaka are crammed with dengue patients.

Farhana Ahmed, who is in charge of dengue cell at Bangladesh Children's Hospital and Institute, told Xinhua on Monday that compared to the last year's peak dengue outbreak season, this time they are handling more pressure with a large number of patients being admitted on a daily basis.

"I will say (the number of patients are) more than last year, we're on the upward trend so far," said the doctor.

She feared they would have to handle this pressure of patients till next month, and said that they are treating dengue patients on priority in all wards, cabins and ICUs of the hospital.

Jahangir Alam, director of Bangladesh Children's Hospital and Institute, said they saw changing patterns and unusual manifestations of dengue fever this time.

"You have noticed that the dengue mosquito, Aedes mosquito, has changed its character. We've trained consultants and registered (medical) students as part of various measures so that they can treat patients perfectly," he said.

"While we are usually able to provide specialized services, there is not much we can do when latecomers come to us with multi-organ failure," said Alam, who is also head of the respiratory medicine department at the hospital.

Most of the dengue infected patients usually recover, but there are few casualties, he said, adding that the hospital's consultants are also involved in dengue management and together they strive to provide medical service in an appropriate manner.

From Jan. 1 to Aug. 14 this year, the DGHS said 78,044 dengue patients returned home after receiving treatment at various hospitals across the country.