Nusrat Sultana

Each year, as monsoon clouds gather over Bangladesh, a familiar yet devastating visitor resurfaces—dengue fever. Transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which breeds in everyday stagnant water, dengue remains a major public health threat, especially in urban centers like Dhaka.

2023 saw the deadliest dengue outbreak in Bangladesh’s history, with 321,179 hospital admissions and 1,705 deaths (fatality rate ≈ 0.53%). In 2024, more than 100,000 cases were reported by year-end, with 575 fatalities. By late May 2025, total cases reached 3,972, with 23 deaths—a rise in cases but lower fatality compared to the previous year.

Globally, dengue's reach is expanding. As of April 2024, over 7.6 million cases were reported to the WHO, including 3.4 million confirmed, 16,000 severe, and 3,000+ deaths, underscoring the virus’s growing threat Dengue infections can range from mild fever to life-threatening Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF) and Dengue Shock Syndrome (DSS). In Bangladesh, delayed hospital visits and misdiagnosis often worsen outcomes . The combination of rapid urban sprawl, poor drainage, and climate change—such as prolonged rainy seasons—has created ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes . On the other hand, rising temperatures and erratic rainfall patterns have extended the breeding season of Aedes mosquitoes, turning dengue into a year-round threat rather than a seasonal one.

Current strategies focus on municipal fumigation and occasional awareness campaigns. However, these efforts are often short-lived and lack grassroots momentum. Most prevention is top-down—and the public still views dengue as a seasonal nuisance rather than a potentially deadly approach. There are also many myths which people believe like- dengue spreads from person to person, boiled papaya leaves cure dengue, dengue only happens in slums. But it spreads only through mosquito bites, no scientific evidence supports this and it affects all urban zones, even affluent areas. So, everyone must be aware of dengue fever.

Containment dengue demands a multi-tiered, community-based approach like-

● Household vigilance: Regularly empty containers like flower vases, tires, buckets; keep water storage covered.

● Personal protection: Use mosquito repellents, wear long sleeves, sleep under nets—especially during dawn and dusk.

● Institutional efforts: Schools and local hubs should embed dengue prevention into routines—water-logging clean-ups, informational drives, and inclusion in curriculums.

● Surveillance & early detection: Local health volunteers, ward-level surveillance teams, and hotlines can alert authorities to emerging clusters

In past pandemics like COVID-19, community vigilance combined with institutional support saved innumerable lives. A similar model is now essential for dengue.

The evidence is clear: dengue is not just an episodic health hazard—it is a public health crisis in the making. While government interventions are vital, they alone cannot suffice. Every household, every school, every street must become a frontline against dengue.

As the next monsoon approaches, let us mobilize public awareness with greater urgency. Let's transform our passive hope into active defence—so future outbreaks are met not with fear, but with preparedness. Because dengue is preventable—but only if we act together.

 The writer is a student, department Of Sociology University Of Chittagong.