Bangladesh is facing a growing health crisis as dengue fever continues to spread rapidly, with 51 deaths reported so far in 2025, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). This marks a sharp rise compared to the same period in previous years.

As of Tuesday, dengue cases have been reported from 60 districts, compared to 54 in 2024 and 56 in 2023. A total of 13,188 infections have been recorded since January, with 425 patients hospitalised in the past 24 hours alone.

New cases include 120 in Barishal, 98 in Chattogram, 36 in Dhaka Division (outside city), 38 in Dhaka North City Corporation, 55 in Dhaka South, 18 in Khulna, 11 in Mymensingh, 48 in Rajshahi, and one in Sylhet.

Experts blame the interim government, led by Muhammad Yunus, for failing to launch timely anti-mosquito drives and awareness campaigns. Since August 2024, local councillors and public representatives have reportedly been absent from their posts, disrupting the response mechanism.

“The absence of control measures has increased Aedes mosquito larvae density, resulting in a surge in dengue cases,” said entomologist Kabirul Bashar of Jahangirnagar University.

According to The Daily Star, 1,535 of 4,575 union parishad chairmen have been absent since August 2024, leading to a lack of grassroots-level disease awareness campaigns.

Health experts warn that without urgent intervention and restoration of public health governance, the country may face a wider outbreak. The fragile healthcare infrastructure has also failed to cope with the growing caseload.

Dengue is a viral disease spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, with symptoms ranging from fever to potentially fatal complications.