Bangladesh braces for dengue surge as rainy season fuels spread

Bangladesh’s dengue tally climbed to 6,414 cases and 19 deaths on July 2, with 786 new infections and six new deaths in the previous 24 hours. The tally had risen from 714 reported infections and one death at the end of May to 5,924 infections and 18 deaths by the end of June.

Health Minister Sardar Md. Sakhawat Husain said on June 1 that the government had taken “all kinds of preparations” to tackle dengue, and said work with city corporations had started two months earlier. By June 7, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had expanded nationwide dengue and chikungunya preparedness through coordinated efforts with the Directorate General of Health Services, the Local Government Division, city corporations and local administrations. Those efforts included awareness rallies, cleanliness drives, community meetings and courtyard gatherings, along with mosquito-killing campaigns and the removal of standing water.

The response has also moved into the hospital system. The government ordered private hospitals to reserve 10% of beds for free dengue treatment. Dhaka North City Corporation has launched a dengue dashboard with United Nations Development Programme support to help officials monitor infections in real time and target interventions. In Cox’s Bazar, the World Health Organization held an after-action review on May 28, 2025, after a dengue outbreak in the Rohingya refugee camps and nearby communities.

Kabirul Bashar of Jahangirnagar University said dengue cases in Dhaka could at least double in July from June levels and rise three to fourfold by August. District towns could face even greater risk than Dhaka this year. Barisal Division accounted for 41% of nationwide dengue cases by mid-July 2025.

Bangladesh recorded 101,214 dengue infections and 575 deaths in 2024, then 102,861 cases and 413 deaths in 2025, after the deadliest season on record in 2023. The World Health Organization found 63% of Bangladesh’s dengue cases and 62% of deaths in 2023 were reported in July alone.