Dengue Situation in Bangladesh: An Epidemiological Shift in terms of Morbidity and Mortality

Abstract

The escalating dengue situation in Bangladesh has been emerging as a serious public health problem in terms of morbidity and mortality. Results of analysis of 40,476 cases of Bangladesh occurring during 2000–2017 indicated that 49.73% of the dengue cases occurred during the monsoon season (May–August) and 49.22% during the post-monsoon season (September–December). However, data also showed that, since 2014, these trends have been changing, and dengue cases have been reported during the pre-monsoon season. During 2015–2017, in the pre-monsoon season, the dengue cases were reported to be more than seven times higher compared to the previous 14 years. The findings closely correlate with those of the pre-monsoon Aedes vector survey which revealed the presence of high density of larva and pupa of the dengue vectors in the environment all the year round. In our study, climate changes, such as average rainfall, humidity, and temperature, after 2014, and rapid unplanned urbanization were the strong predictors of an imbalance in the existing ecology that has led to increase in dengue cases in 2016 and the emergence of the chikungunya virus for the first time in Bangladesh in 2017. Although 2018 dengue data are relevant but not included in this study due to study time frame, it is interesting to report an increase in the number of dengue cases in pre (2016) and post (2018, which is highest within 18 years) chikungunya outbreak, which favors the study hypothesis. Despite the efforts to control dengue, based primarily on the vector control and case management, the burden and costs of the disease and similar vector-borne diseases will continue to grow in future in our country. Developing a cost-effective vaccine against all the 4 strains of dengue remains a challenge. The CDC, in collaboration with other research organizations, may come forward to initiate and coordinate a large-scale randomized clinical trial of an effective dengue vaccine in Bangladesh.

Availability and price changes of potential medicines and equipment for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 among pharmacy and drug stores in Bangladesh; findings and implications

“…undertaken since 13 March 2020 5 . There are also concerns that due to a lack of resources and personnel, along with high levels of both infectious and non-infectious disease, that COVID-19 could overwhelm Bangladesh 11,[14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21] . This includes high prevalence rates of coronary vascular disease (CVD) and diabetes 19,20 , including both macro-and microvascular complications 16,18,20,22,23 , as well as hypertension 17,18,24,25 .…”

“…Encouragingly for patients, prices of essential antibiotics in private pharmacies in Bangladesh, including model stores, were not much higher than international prices in a recent study by , with only limited price increases between 2003 and 2019 44 . The increase in cases with dengue 21 , and the continued challenges with tuberculosis in Bangladesh, with patients typically seeking help from non-qualified practitioners before seeking help from qualified professionals, also needs addressing [45][46][47][48] . Encouragingly, whilst there are still cases of malaria in Bangladesh, co-ordinated activities have reduced these by more than 50% in 2016 versus 2010 49 .…”

Knowledge, awareness and preventive practices of dengue outbreak in Bangladesh: a countrywide study

“…As Bangladesh is situated in the Southeast Asian (SE) region, vector-borne diseases like dengue, are perceived as a major health threat [9]. Over population, impromptu and uncontrolled urbanization are identi ed as the key factor for increasing transmission of mosquito-borne diseases like dengue [1].…”

“…The sporadic cases and small outbreaks clinically suggestive of dengue occurred across the country from 1964 to 1999 but those were not o cially reported [7,8]. In the year 2000, a severe outbreak of dengue occurred in Bangladesh with 93 mortality among 5551 morbidity cases [9]. In subsequent years dengue cases reduced remarkably to as low as 375 cases in 2014.…”

Dengue Outbreak is a Global Recurrent Crisis: Review of the Literature

“…Dengue is an important arthropod borne viral disease that is known to affect an estimated 2.5 billion people around the globe; approximately 975 million are habitants of the urban areas in tropical and subtropical countries in Southeast Asia, the Pacific and America [4,[102][103][104][105]. The transmission range also covers the African, the Eastern Mediterranean and the rural communities.…”