Because of climate change About a thousand deaths and nearly 200,000 cases of dengue fever in Bangladesh

Written By طقس العرب on 2023/10/04

This article was written originally in Arabic and is translated using a 3rd party automated service. ArabiaWeather is not responsible for any grammatical errors whatsoever.

Weather of Arabia - More than a thousand people died in Bangladesh due to dengue fever in the worst outbreak of this infection ever in the history of Bangladesh, and the reason is due to climate change.

What is dengue fever?

Answer : Dengue fever is a viral infection that is transmitted to humans when they are exposed to the bites of mosquitoes carrying this infection. Dengue fever appears in tropical and subtropical climates in the world, especially urban and semi-urban areas. It is worth noting that nearly half of the world's population is at risk of contracting dengue fever; It is estimated that about 100 to 400 million infections occur annually, according to the World Health Organization.

Although many cases of dengue virus infection are considered asymptomatic or cause only mild illness, dengue virus can cause more serious cases and may lead to death.

You can reduce your risk of contracting dengue fever by controlling its vectors, and avoiding mosquito bites, especially during the day. As for treating this fever, there is no specific treatment at the present time, and painkillers are currently the only resort.

Spread of dengue fever in Bangladesh

The spread of dengue fever in Bangladesh has killed more than a thousand people so far since the beginning of this year, according to statements by government health officials on Sunday. Statistics published by the General Directorate of Health Services indicate the death of 1,006 people out of more than 200,000 confirmed infections. P Nazir Ahmed, who previously served as Director of Health Services, explained that the number of deaths since the beginning of 2023 exceeds the total number of cases recorded since 2000, when the first dengue outbreak was recorded in Bangladesh.

Official figures showed that among the deceased this year were 12 children under the age of 15, some of whom were infants, and this year’s toll exceeds the previous record number recorded in 2022, which amounted to 281 deaths.

Climate change is a major cause of the spread of dengue fever in Bangladesh

Expert analyzes indicate that increased urbanization, climate change and insufficient efforts to control and prevent the disease, which is transmitted by mosquitoes, are among the main reasons for the high number of dengue fever infections in this South Asian country.

Scientists attributed the outbreak of the disease in 2023 to irregular rainfall and high temperatures during the annual monsoon, which created ideal conditions for mosquitoes to breed.

On the other hand, in September last year, the World Health Organization issued a warning about the worsening spread of dengue fever in Bangladesh, noting that it was witnessing the worst outbreak in its history. The organization's director, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, confirmed during an online press conference that this epidemic is putting great pressure on the health system in Bangladesh.

Climate change in Bangladesh

The crisis has escalated dramatically in Bangladesh, prompting the Bangladeshi government to turn to the international community with an appeal for assistance, especially with regard to laboratory testing supplies and medicines to combat dengue fever. The World Health Organization indicated the need to take precautionary and preventive measures to stop the spread and reproduction of mosquitoes that transmit fever.

World Health Organization reports indicate the challenges facing the health system in Bangladesh due to the spread of dengue fever. Health experts in Bangladesh spoke about the spread of a different type of dengue fever this year compared to previous years, and they attribute this to the impact of climate changes that led to harsh and unstable weather fluctuations, which created a suitable environment for the breeding of mosquitoes that transmit the fever.

Research director at the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies, Mahfuz Kabir, believes that there is a clear relationship between temperature fluctuations and the spread of mosquitoes, and that any environmental change leads to an increase in the reproduction of this type of mosquito, which is reflected in an increase in infection cases among the population in certain seasons of the year. .

According to a report issued by the World Bank in 2021, Bangladesh has seen temperatures rise over 44 years at a rate of half a degree Celsius, which has led to an increase in the summer period and higher temperatures, while winters have become warmer than before. Temperatures in Bangladesh are expected to rise by about 1.4 degrees Celsius by 2050.

Sources