Dengue infections increased five times in first five months this year: Maleque

Health Minister Zahed Maleque on Monday said that the number of dengue patients in the country has increased five times compared to last year.

Some 1,704 people have so far been infected with dengue this year which was 310 in the same period of last year, the minister told the journalist while speaking at a press briefing at the Secretariat in the afternoon.

Between January 1 and May 28 of last year, 310 persons were hospitalized with dengue, while the number of dengue patients is 1,771 during the same time period this year, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). 

Maleque claimed that hospitals all around the nation have set up special units and beds to treat dengue patients.

Additionally, he stated that starting this week, the government would launch a nationwide campaign for Covid-19 booster doses.

The World Health Organization would provide the government with 30 lakh variant-containing vaccinations (VCV), he continued.