Dengue fever has intensified across Khulna city, leading to five patient deaths at Khulna Medical College Hospital (KMCH) within a single week. In response to the growing healthcare crisis, Khulna City Corporation (KCC) has designated four municipal wards as high-risk ‘Red Zones’ and accelerated localized sanitization and vector-control efforts. Meanwhile, public healthcare facilities are operating at capacity, leaving numerous patients to receive care on makeshift beds and beneath mosquito nets along hospital corridors due to a shortage of ward beds.
Regional Casualties and Healthcare System Strain
According to divisional health authorities, a 24-hour monitoring period ending Wednesday morning recorded another death at KMCH. This latest fatality brought the hospital’s weekly death toll to five and raised total dengue-related deaths across Khulna division this year to 15. Fatalities remain heavily concentrated within Khulna district, which accounts for 14 of these deaths, while neighboring Bagerhat district recorded one.
Data from the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) divisional office indicates that 133 new dengue patients were admitted to hospitals across the division within a 24-hour window. Of these admissions, 103 were recorded in Khulna district alone, including 35 at KMCH. Currently, 123 patients are undergoing treatment in KMCH’s dedicated dengue ward, while total hospital admissions across the district stand at 344.
Dr Sheikh Md Mosharaf Hossain, Divisional Health Director for Khulna, reported that 3,823 patients have been admitted to divisional hospitals since 1 January. Although 3,267 individuals recovered and were discharged following treatment, 502 patients remain hospitalized across the region, and 39 critical cases have been transferred to specialized facilities elsewhere. KMCH Superintendent Md Akhtaruzzaman confirmed that patient admissions are increasing daily, placing continuous strain on hospital infrastructure.
Risk Mapping and Vector Control Operations
Statistical mapping by KCC highlights elevated infection rates across the municipality’s 31 wards. Wards 30, 29, 28, and 22 have been categorized as ‘Red Zones’, having collectively recorded 288 cases this season. Ward 30 leads the city in total infections with 111 confirmed cases, followed by Ward 29 with 100 cases, Ward 28 with 80 cases, and Ward 22 with 77 cases.
In addition, Wards 17, 18, 23, 24, and 27 have been designated as moderate-risk ‘Orange Zones’, accounting for a combined total of 268 cases. Lower-risk ‘Yellow Zones’—comprising Wards 15, 20, 25, and 31—have recorded 117 cases to date.
KCC Chief Health Officer Sharif Shammiul Islam stated that daily diagnostic data compiled from KMCH, Khulna General Hospital, and local diagnostic centers forms the basis for these ward-by-ward risk classifications. To target the vector population, KCC has deployed ten fogging machines and hand sprayers per ward, along with wheelbarrow fogger units for open drainage channels and public spaces. Mobile courts are actively inspecting commercial and residential properties to eliminate standing water reservoirs and larva breeding grounds.
KCC Administrator Nazrul Islam Manju noted that the World Health Organisation previously warned of a severe dengue transmission season in Khulna, adding that elevated risk levels could persist for another two to three months. To maintain civic operational readiness, leave for all KCC officers and personnel has been cancelled, public awareness campaigns have been expanded, and dedicated hospital monitoring cells have been established.
