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Bangladesh Battles Rising Tide of Dengue and Chikungunya
The Straits Times
|September 08, 2025
Bangladesh faces a fast-worsening public health crisis as the mosquito-borne diseases dengue and chikungunya spread side by side, overwhelming hospitals and heightening fears of an even bigger outbreak in the weeks ahead.
DHAKA -
According to the Directorate General of Health Services, the country has recorded more than 33,800 dengue cases and 132 deaths in 2025. In the first week of September, at least 10 people died and more than 1,500 were admitted to hospitals with fever.
Chikungunya, absent for years, is making a forceful return.
Between January and July, four Dhaka-based labs confirmed 785 cases of the virus, with detection rates topping 30 percent in some facilities. In port city Chittagong, officials reported 30 cases in just 24 hours, pushing the city's tally to nearly 3,000 in 2025.
This story is from the September 08, 2025 edition of The Straits Times.
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