CT Online Desk:

Bangladesh saw no deaths from dengue in 24 hours, a first since June 29, according to the Directorate General of Health Services. However, public health experts are advising caution in interpreting the data. The data DGHS provided is from Friday and yesterday was Victory Day, which is also a public holiday, said Mushtaq Hossain, a public health expert.

Subsequently, he suggested observing the death toll for at least a week to declare any sort of success in the fight against dengue. Lenin Chowdhury, another public health expert, highlighted the shift in dengue's pattern this year: it has become a nuisance all year round rather than a seasonal problem. Dengue has claimed 1,678 lives and infected nearly 318,982 individuals in 2023, making it the deadliest year since the first recorded epidemic in 2000. "When we see the previous year's data, we can see that there was no death toll in the month of December. So, we don't need to be so happy to see no death in 24 hours," he added. In the past 24 hours, 179 new dengue patients were hospitalised.

As of yesterday morning, 1,678 dengue patients were undergoing treatment in various hospitals across the country. However, a total of 315,624 patients have been released from hospitals this year.

DCT/OL/AH/END