Dengue-measles public health in Bangladesh: 155 dengue deaths in October, 130 more measles deaths recorded

Mir Afroz Zaman, POBNEWS24, Dhaka, Oct 28, 2026 : The outbreak of dengue and measles has created a huge pressure on public health in Bangladesh. The dengue situation centered in the capital is now raising concerns in hospitals in various divisions and district towns of the country. On the other hand, the news of measles infection and deaths due to measles-like symptoms among children has created new challenges for the health system. According to the official count, 155 people died of dengue in the first 27 days of October. At the same time, the combined number of deaths due to measles and measles-like symptoms has increased by at least 130.
Based on the data from the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), it is seen that the dengue and measles crisis is not limited to the number of infected people; the pressure on hospitals, the risk to children and the ability to control the infection are also important questions now.
Dengue deaths in 27 days, more than 48,000 hospitalized.
According to the data of the Directorate General of Health Services on October 27, the number of patients hospitalized for dengue in the country from January 1, 2026 to the morning of October 27 was 1,28,237. During this time, the number of deaths according to the official count was 400. Of these, 155 people died in the first 27 days of October, which exceeded the 148 deaths recorded in the entire month of September.
According to the official count until October 25, the number of patients hospitalized for dengue in the month was 44,228. Compared to the total number of patients admitted and the monthly count until October 27, the number of patients hospitalized throughout October is more than 48,000.
According to the data of the Directorate General of Health Services, 148 people died of dengue in September. There were 43 deaths in August, 36 in July and 13 in June. That is, the lethal impact of dengue has increased significantly in the post-monsoon season. The fact that the number of deaths on October 27 exceeded the monthly count for September highlights the severity of the situation.
The pressure of patients is also increasing in divisional cities beyond Dhaka. Based on the official data of October 27, the picture of dengue patients being hospitalized in various departments has also shown significant increase in areas outside Dhaka. The number of newly admitted patients in Dhaka division was 899. Khulna had 250, Chittagong 241, Rajshahi 229, Barisal 217, Rangpur 112, Mymensingh 97 and Sylhet 26 patients were admitted.
This figure shows that dengue treatment and surveillance cannot be limited to Dhaka metropolis alone. The capacity of divisional cities, district headquarters hospitals and upazila-level health centers needs to be increased. However, the total infection of an area or the actual spread of the disease in rural areas cannot be determined solely by the number of patients admitted to hospitals based on the division.
On the other hand, the outbreak of measles is also increasing. The combined number of deaths in a month has increased by 130. Along with dengue, the situation of measles is also worrying. Based on the data of the Directorate General of Health Services, the combined number of deaths due to measles and measles-like symptoms has increased from 1,110 to 1,240. That is, an increase of 130 during this period.
At the same time, the number of patients registered with suspected measles symptoms increased from 192,863 to 223,784, an increase of 30,921. The number of measles patients confirmed in the test increased from 21,602 to 23,541, an increase of 1,939.
According to the information from the Directorate General of Health Services in the report on October 27, a total of 199,127 people with measles symptoms were admitted to the hospital and 191,090 were discharged after treatment. On the same day, information about 1,232 new suspected patients and 63 new confirmed infections were published.