Natural disasters and the dengue epidemic during COVID-19 outbreak are a deadly combination for public health threats in Bangladesh

17, November 2020 | Bangladesh

Authors:

Abstract

The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) impacted the world's public health and economy tremendously, including Bangladesh. The first confirmed cases were reported in Bangladesh on 8 March 2020, and as of 26 August 2020, the total number of positive COVID-19 cases were 302,147, with 4,082 dead (Figure 1). The extremely diverse cases were between 21 and 40 years of age (55%), while those over 60 years of age (48%) were fatal, where the average fatality rate was only 1.33%.1 As a low-income, developing, densely populated country, Bangladesh is at a higher risk of the pandemic due to fragile health systems, poor socio- economic conditions, frequent natural disasters, an increasing number of older adults, migrants, refugees, dense cities, and other infectious diseases. According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Bangladesh, as of 13 August 2020, only 564 ICU beds are available in the Government hospitals and 992 physicians, 825 nurses, 572 supporting staffs, other (not elsewhere classified) 263 staffs, 212 medical technologists, 163 field staffs, 06 dental surgeons, and 02 ayurvedic specialists are working for COVID-19 health services in the whole country.2,3