Dhaka, Aug 27 (EFE).- The United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) warned Sunday of a rise in dengue infections among children in Bangladesh, which is in the midst of an epidemic that has already killed 537.
Twelve-years old Shahana receives treatment for dengue fever at Mugda Medical College and Hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh, 15 August 2023. EFE/EPA/MONIRUL ALAM
Around 20% of the more than 112,000 reported cases so far this year in Bangladesh were among children, according to Unicef.
“Once again, children in Bangladesh are at the frontlines of climate change as the dengue crisis here escalates,” Unicef Representative to Bangladesh, Sheldon Yett, said in a statement.
Unicef has pledged $2.25 million worth of aid for “urgently needed testing kits, training of professionals, along with other critical supplies and services in the health and water, sanitation and hygiene sectors.”
The UN agency warned that the dengue outbreak has now spread to 64 districts.
“The need of the hour is for the communities to ensure that mosquitoes do not breed in their houses and take all precautionary measures to ward away mosquitoes,” Prof. Abul Bashar Mohammad Khurshid Alam, Director General of the Directorate General of Health Services of Bangladesh said.
“We are providing testing kits, medical supplies, mosquito nets, and we are also working with the city corporation and relevant bodies to eliminate vector breeding sites,” he added.
This Summer Bangladesh has surpassed its annual record caseload of the potentially deadly viral infection that is transmitted by female mosquitoes, mainly of the Aedes species.
Symptoms of the disease include a headache, muscle and joint pain, and body rashes.
The death toll is also the highest ever recorded in Bangladesh, with authorities now reporting over 537 deaths.
Dengue cases in Bangladesh generally begin to increase in July and decline in October, although experts are warning that factors like climate change, informal settlements and poor management of the water supply are increasing the risk of the disease spreading. EFE
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