Bangladesh grapples with a record deadly outbreak of dengue fever, with hospitals struggling to make space for patients as the disease spreads rapidly in the densely-populated country.
abc.net.au/news/bangladesh-grapples-with-record-deadly-outbreak-of-dengue-fever/102694470Bangladesh is grappling with a record deadly outbreak of dengue fever, with hospitals struggling to make space for patients as the disease spreads rapidly in the densely-populated country.
The government has launched initiatives to limit the spread of mosquito-borne diseases, from awareness campaigns to efforts to kill mosquito larvae following a spell of rains, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said. "Since we came here, the doctors and nurses told us that they cannot provide us with a proper bed, but if we stay, they would treat us," Shariful Islam told Reuters television as he watched over his family members in a government hospital in Dhaka.There is no vaccine or drug that specifically treats dengue, which is common in South Asia during the June-to-September monsoon season, when the Aedes aegypti mosquito that spreads the deadly virus thrives in stagnant water.
Early detection and access to proper medical care can reduce deaths to fewer than 1 per cent of sufferers.