Mosquito-borne dengue grows deadlier in South Asia as planet warms
- Dengue on the rise and spreading in Bangladesh, Nepal
- Heat and longer monsoon linked to worsening outbreaks
- Authorities struggle to respond but aid groups helping
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In Bangladesh, at least 691 people have died so far in 2023, and more than 138,000 have been infected, official figures show, making this the deadliest year since the first recorded epidemic in 2000. The previous record toll was 281 deaths last year.
A lack of proper prevention measures has allowed the dengue-carrying Aedes aegypti mosquito to spread across almost all of Bangladesh, said Kabirul Bashar, an entomologist and zoology professor at Jahangirnagar University in the capital Dhaka.
He said this raised the risk of more infections occurring during September. Dengue is common during the June-to-September monsoon season, when mosquitoes thrive in stagnant water.
"This climate is favourable for the breeding of Aedes mosquitoes," Bashar said in an interview. "Dengue is not only a problem for Dhaka, it is now a problem for the entire country."
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