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☆ Bangladesh dengue: More than 1,000 people killed in country's worst outbreak on record
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Fatalities from the outbreak are almost four times higher than last year, when 281 people died. In September alone, there were more than 79,600 reported cases and 396 deaths, according to Bangladesh health authorities. Last year, dengue cases only peaked in October with most deaths recorded in November. The global number of dengue cases has already increased eight-fold in the past two decades, according to WHO. This year, dengue has hit South America severely with Peru battling its worst outbreak on record.

Persons: Munir Uz Zaman, Adhanom Ghebreyesus, “, ”, Abdi Mahamud Organizations: CNN, Health Services, Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital, Getty, World Health Organization, WHO, Dhaka –, UN, South America Locations: Bangladesh, Dhaka, AFP, Peru, Florida, Asia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia, Africa, Chad

☆ Bangladesh’s worst ever dengue outbreak a ‘canary in the coal mine’ for climate crisis, WHO expert warns
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Dengue-infected people are treated at the Mugda Medical College and Hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on August 7. The global number of dengue cases has already increased eight-fold in the past two decades, according to WHO. As the climate crisis worsens, mosquito-borne diseases like dengue, Zika, chikungunya and yellow fever will likely continue to spread and have an ever greater impact on human health. Mahamud said the climate crisis and this year’s El Nino weather pattern – which brings warmer, wetter weather to parts of the world – are worsening the problem. Calling these outbreaks a “canary in the coalmine of the climate crisis,” Mahamud said “global solidarity” and support is needed to deal with the worsening epidemic.

Persons: Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Tedros, “, ”, Mohammad Ponir Hossain, ” Tedros, ” Kabirul Bashar, Raman Velayudhan, Abdi Mahamud, Mahamud, ” Mahamud Organizations: CNN, World Health Organization, WHO, Mugda Medical College, Hospital, Reuters, Dhaka –, ” WHO, “, South America Locations: Bangladesh, El Nino, Dhaka, Nino, Peru, Florida, Asia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia, Africa, Chad

GENEVA, Jan 11 (Reuters) - The World Health Organization said it is working with China to manage the risks of COVID-19 surging again as people travel for Lunar New Year celebrations but the country's response continues to be challenged by a lack of data. COVID-19 is spreading unchecked in China after the country lifted its zero-COVID policy in December, but the WHO said it still does not have enough information from China to make a full assessment of the dangers of the surge. That is also an issue in working with China on how to mitigate the risks of travel ahead of the Lunar New Year public holiday, which officially runs from Jan. 21, the WHO said. The WHO also said China is still heavily underreporting deaths from COVID-19, although it is now providing more information on its outbreak. "There are some very important information gaps that we are working with China to fill," said COVID-19 technical lead, Maria Van Kerkhove.

The holiday, known before the pandemic as the world's largest annual migration of people, comes amid an escalating diplomatic spat over COVID curbs that saw Beijing introduce transit curbs for South Korean and Japanese nationals on Wednesday. The virus is spreading unchecked in China after Beijing abruptly began dismantling its previously tight curbs in early December following historic protests. Among them, South Korea and Japan have also limited flights and require tests on arrival, with passengers showing up as positive being sent to quarantine. COUNTING DEATHSSome of the governments that announced curbs on travellers from China cited concerns over Beijing's data transparency. Annual spending by Chinese tourists abroad reached $250 billion before the pandemic, with South Korea and Japan among the top shopping destinations.

That might ease some concerns about the outbreak since Beijing abruptly reversed its "zero COVID" policy last month. But many Chinese funeral homes and hospitals say they are overwhelmed, and international health experts predict at least 1 million COVID-related deaths in China this year without urgent action. But the WHO said there is "no inevitability" in terms of predictions of large numbers of deaths. "It really does depend on the measures that are in place," said the WHO's COVID-19 technical lead Maria van Kerkhove. She said the WHO was working with China to improve access to life-saving tools and cope with health workforce issues in badly-hit areas.

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