Bangladesh health authorities reported 2,292 new dengue cases on Sunday morning, the highest number of hospitalisations in a day from the mosquito-borne disease this year.
During the period, nine more deaths were reported from dengue, raising the fatalities from the viral disease in 2023 to 176, according to the Directorate General of Health Services.
On Saturday DGHS reported 2242 new cases, the first day that the number crossed 2000 this year, continuing the steep upward climb witnessed since the start of June, when the country was logging around 100 cases per day.
At the start of July, case numbers were around 600 per day, after which the acceleration has been remarkable to reach the levels seen today. Meanwhile July has also become the deadliest month ever for dengue in Bangladesh, with 129 deaths now.
The previous highest had been November 2022, when 113 people died from the disease, according to DGHS records in the public domain.
Of the new patients reported today, 1,064 were admitted to hospitals in Dhaka and the remaining 1228 outside it.
A total of 7,175 dengue patients, including 4,149 in the capital, are now receiving treatment at hospitals across the country.
So far, the DGHS has recorded 32,977 dengue cases and 25,626 recoveries this year.
The country logged 281 dengue deaths in 2022 – the highest on record after 179 deaths recorded in 2019. Also, it recorded 62,423 dengue cases and 61,971 recoveries last year.