Helemul Alam

Despite being an earthquake-prone country, Bangladesh remains poorly prepared for a major seismic event, experts warn.

Dengue infections and deaths rose sharply in July, raising fears that the outbreak could worsen in the coming months unless the authorities adopt a coordinated nationwide mosquito control strategy.

The government has announced a series of measures to restore Dhaka's rivers and waterways, including preventing pollution, improving drainage, maintaining navigability and exploring private-sector operation of water bus services.

The DENV-3 serotype has become the dominant strain of the dengue virus in Bangladesh this year, replacing DENV-2, which was the most prevalent last year, according to the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR).

Dhaka division has emerged as the country's dengue hotspot, recording 6,871 cases, including 4,404 infections in Dhaka city alone this year.

With 1,156 dengue patients hospitalised as of yesterday, Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital has topped the list of hospitals treating dengue patients this year, followed by Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), Mugda Medical College Hospital and Mitford Hospital.

With 10 days still to go, August has already recorded 27 percent more dengue cases than all of July, as experts warn infections may continue rising.

Dhaka Medical College Hospital is receiving a large number of dengue patients from across Bangladesh, many of whom arrive with severe complications that increase their risk of death, doctors and public health experts have said.

Despite men accounting for more dengue infections, women are making up a disproportionately higher share of deaths from the disease this year, according to Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) data.

In August, Bangladesh recorded its third-highest number of dengue cases and deaths for the month since the country's first major outbreak in 2000, as infections continue to rise.