Outbreak at a glance 

As of 20 November 2022, a total of 52 807 laboratory-confirmed dengue cases and 230 related deaths have been reported by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare of Bangladesh since 1 January 2022 with a case fatality rate (CFR) of 0.44%. Dengue is endemic in Bangladesh however a surge of cases started in June 2022. Currently, all eight divisions in the country are reporting cases and deaths. This is the second-largest outbreak since 2000, with the largest having occurred in 2019. The current dengue outbreak is unusual in its scale and seasonality.

Description of the outbreak

Between 1 January and 20 November 2022, a total of 52 807 dengue cases including 230 related deaths (case fatality rate = 0.44%) were reported by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MOHFW) (Figure 1). The cases were confirmed either by non-structural protein (NS1) diagnostic kits or by Immunoglobulin M (IgM) tests. According to information available for 40% of reported cases (n=20 982) the median age is 25 years (range: 0 – 89) with males accounting for 60% of the cases. This is the second highest annual number of cases since 2000, the highest having occurred in 2019, when 101 354 cases including 164 deaths were reported (Figure 2 & 3).