More than 1,000 people have died: Bangladesh reports a violent outbreak of dengue fever

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More than a thousand people have died from the mosquito-borne disease in the South Asian country since the beginning of the year, according to figures from health authorities on Sunday. This means the previous record of 281 deaths last year was exceeded many times over.

Ideal breeding conditions for mosquitoes

In total, the authority has recorded 200,000 cases of dengue fever nationwide since January. According to official figures, the dead included 112 children aged 15 and under.

The number of deaths is higher than in all years combined since the first major outbreak in Bangladesh in 2000, the former head of the health authority, Be-Nazir Ahmed, told the AFP news agency.

Scientists attributed this year’s violent outbreak to erratic rainfall and high temperatures during Bangladesh’s annual monsoon season, which created ideal breeding conditions for mosquitoes.

Climate change accelerates the spread

Dengue fever is a disease common in tropical areas that causes high fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, muscle pain and, in the worst cases, bleeding that can lead to death. Normally, most cases in Bangladesh are reported during the rainy season between July and September. This year, hospitals admitted their first patients during the winter months.

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said in September that the outbreak was putting enormous pressure on Bangladesh’s healthcare system. According to the WHO, mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue fever, but also yellow fever and the Zika virus are spreading faster and further as a result of climate change. The risk of infections with the dengue virus will also probably increase in Germany.

(AFP)

Source: Blick