Helemul Alam

On a recent Thursday afternoon, Selim Badsha, a chauffeur, found himself in a fix when he got stuck on the road near Jamuna Future Park in the capital’s Bashundhara R/A.

With one more dengue patient dying in the 24 hours until yesterday morning, the death toll from the mosquito-borne disease has reached 250 this year, the fourth-highest annual figure since the first outbreak in Bangladesh in 2000.

Safia, mother of 22-year-old Md Sahadat, sat anxiously beside her son’s hospital bed as he battled dengue after undergoing a surgery.

Bangladesh has recorded a sharp rise in dengue deaths and cases in recent years compared with the 18-year period from 2000 to 2018.

From crowded bus terminals to bustling markets, public toilets are difficult to find in Bangladesh’s major cities, depriving millions of commuters, shoppers and travellers of access to safe sanitation.

With rainfall continuing, dengue cases could rise further through October unless urgent measures are taken to eliminate breeding sites and control adult mosquitoes, experts have warned.

At least 52 dengue patients died in the first 13 days of September, the highest monthly toll recorded so far this year, raising fresh concerns over the worsening dengue situation in the country.

Despite spending around Tk 825 crore on mosquito control over the last 11 years, Dhaka’s two city corporations have failed to prevent recurring outbreaks of dengue and other mosquito-borne diseases.