Monsoon’s end stokes fresh fears in Bangladesh as dengue bites with deadliest September

As the monsoon draws to a close, dengue is once again taking an ominous turn. In just the first three weeks of September, the Directorate General of Health Services is reporting the year’s highest monthly infections and deaths. So far this year, 43,173 patients have been admitted to hospital with dengue and 182 have died. Between Sept 1 and 23 alone, 11,697 people were hospitalised -- the highest of any month this year -- while the mosquito-borne disease claimed 60 lives over the same three weeks. Recalling last year’s pattern, Prof Kabirul Bashar of Jahangirnagar University’s Department of Zoology warned the situation could get “worse” in October. Public health specialist Mushtuq Husain, noting dengue’s spread across the country, urged authorities...