Dengue: From Dacca Fever to Today’s Deadly Crisis
In 1964, the West branded Bengal as the site of “worldwide epidemics.” Did the stigma predetermine its destiny?
When you think of the rainy season in the subcontinent, you think of Rabindranath Tagore poems, Bollywood songs like “Rimjhim Gire Sawan,” and romance. The downpours from June through September represent not just a vibe, but a respite from the scorching heat.
But the monsoons are also the subcontinent’s deadliest season. In recent weeks, flash floods killed over 300 people in Pakistan. This year, almost 140 countries have reported cases of dengue, a mosquito-borne illness, compared to just nine in 1970. And in 2023, a deadly outbreak in Bangladesh killed over 1,000 people, including over 100 children. With decades of progress against malaria and other subtropical diseases, why haven’t we beaten dengue?