The number of patients admitted to hospitals with dengue is rising after the rainy season and a significant portion of these patients, affected by this mosquito-borne disease, are children.
According to government statistics, one out of every five dengue patients admitted to hospitals in Bangladesh this year is under the age of 15.
As a precaution, due to the spread of the disease among children, a specialised dengue corner has been established at the Bangladesh Shishu Hospital and Institute in Dhaka.
Until Sunday, the ward had 16 beds, but by Monday, the number of beds had been increased to 24.
In the 24 hours leading up to Monday morning, 11 children had been admitted there. On Monday, 25 children were in the hospital, with two of them in the intensive care unit, or ICU.
Hospital data show that from January to Sept 22 this year, 210 children were admitted to the hospital with dengue. Of those, 83 were admitted in the first three weeks of this month alone.
In January, 10 children were admitted, 6 in February, 10 in March, 7 in April, 13 in May, 5 in June, 31 in July, and 45 in August.
Five of the admitted children have died this year, three of them in September.
During a visit to the specialised dengue ward on Monday, every bed was occupied by a child suffering from dengue.
Among them was a 5-year-old child named Muntasim Tajwar Tahmid from Pirerbagh in Dhaka's Mirpur.
His mother Tahmina Khatun said Tahmid had a fever in the first week of August, and tests confirmed dengue.
He recovered with treatment, but last Friday, he developed a fever again.
"On Saturday morning, when we came to the hospital, the doctor ordered tests. When dengue was confirmed again, we admitted him here on Sunday. He is experiencing severe fever, cold, and cough, which is the main issue now."
A 1-year-old child named Marium Alam was brought from Shariatpur.
Her mother Asma Akhtar told bdnews24.com, "She had a high fever, and her temperature rose to 103 degrees. We consulted a doctor in Shariatpur, and when dengue was confirmed, they advised us to bring her to Dhaka for better treatment."
Khadija Sultana, the mother of a 6-and-a-half-year-old child named Aliza Islam from Indira Road in Dhaka's Farmgate, said her daughter first developed a fever on Monday night. The fever subsided after giving her paracetamol syrup the next morning, but it returned in the afternoon. As the fever did not go down, they sought medical advice.
"The doctor ordered tests, which confirmed dengue. Her platelet count dropped to 50,000. As her condition worsened, we admitted her to the hospital on Friday night. Initially, we were in a cabin, but as her condition improved slightly, we were transferred to the ward yesterday [on Monday]."
Mahmudul Haque Chowdhury, a resident physician in the hospital's emergency department, told bdnews24.com: "We've noticed an increase in dengue patients over the past week. The numbers aren't as high as last year, but as a precaution, we have set up a dengue corner."
He added that they admit patients to the hospital only when they exhibit severe symptoms such as high fever, abdominal pain, and vomiting, which are danger signs. "For others, we prescribe medications and provide written instructions on what to do at home. Parents are advised to follow up at our fever clinic," he added. —bdnews24.com
At Dhaka's Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital, the number of children affected by dengue has also increased in recent days. As of Tuesday, 77 patients were admitted to the hospital, with 18 children in the paediatric ward due to dengue.
The parents of a 2-and-a-half-year-old child named Abu Sayed Shakib, who was brought from Savar's Jamgara, said Shakib developed a fever last Sunday. His body temperature rose to 104 degrees. When they took him to the Savar Health Complex, the doctor suggested a dengue test, which came back positive.
"The doctor prescribed medicine, but the fever fluctuated between 102 and 104 degrees. When the doctors advised us to bring him to Dhaka, we admitted him here after noon yesterday. He had a nosebleed once at night. The doctors have treated him, and now he's feeling a bit better," Shakib's father, Shafiqul Islam, told bdnews24.com.
Prof Dr Syeda Afroza, head of the paediatric department at Shaheed Suhrawardy Hospital, told bdnews24.com that most children this year are coming to the hospital with common symptoms of dengue.
"They are experiencing high fever, body aches, vomiting, cough, cold, and headaches. Some children are developing reddish rashes on their bodies. A few have swollen tonsils, and some are also experiencing diarrhoea."
The paediatric specialist said once a child contracts dengue, there is no need to worry as long as the proper treatment is ensured.
"After contracting dengue, the first and most important task is to ensure that the child consumes plenty of fluids. They should drink fruit juice, soup, and eat soft foods like khichuri (a rice and lentil dish) or rice that are easy to digest. The child must be kept under a mosquito net to prevent mosquitoes from biting them and spreading the virus to others."
In Bangladesh, people can contract four types of dengue: DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3, and DEN-4.
Last year, during June, July, and August, a study was conducted on 1,039 children admitted to Bangladesh hospitals and institutes with dengue.
Among them, the epidemiology and serotype of the dengue virus were determined for 722 children. The study was jointly conducted by the epidemiology and research department of Bangladesh Shishu Hospital and Institute, and the International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh, or icddr,b.
According to the analysis of the study results, it was revealed last year that 87 percent of the affected children had the DEN-2 strain, while the remaining 13 percent were affected by DEN-3.
When asked about the percentage of children affected by each type of dengue this year, Prof Dr Tahmina Shirin, director of IEDCR, told bdnews24.com on Tuesday: "This year we conducted serotyping as a whole. The results showed that most people are affected by DEN-2 this year.
There are four serotypes of dengue. If someone is infected with DEN-1 the first time and then infected with DEN-2 or DEN-3 the next time, the severity of the infection tends to increase.
However, if someone is infected with DEN-1 both times, the severity will be less."
In the past 24 hours, 866 dengue patients have been admitted to hospitals across Bangladesh. Among them, 126 children aged between one day and 15 years were admitted. These children make up 15 percent of the total hospital admissions.
So far this year, 24,900 people have been admitted to hospitals with dengue in Bangladesh. Of them, 4,748 are children under 15 years old, which accounts for 19.06 percent of the total admissions.
Among the affected children, the number of boys is higher at 2,796, while the remaining 1,952 are girls. Among the 133 people who have died so far, 21 were children.-- bdnews24.com
