DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Bangladesh is facing its worst-ever dengue fever outbreak as hospitals are flooded with patients, putting a severe strain on the country’s poor emergency services.
The mosquito-borne viral infection has spread across the country with 61 out of 64 districts reporting dengue cases by late Tuesday.
The government has confirmed 15,369 dengue cases since Jan. 1. Of those, 9,683 patients were diagnosed between July 1 and July 30. As of Tuesday, about 4,400 patients, including many children, were undergoing treatment at hospitals.
Health ministry official Ayesha Akhter says that while a dengue outbreak has come with every monsoon season since 2000, this year’s outbreak is the worst.
Dengue is found in tropical areas around the world and is spread by a type of mosquito that mainly lives in urban areas.
