Dengue is a prevalent and rapidly spreading mosquito-borne viral disease affecting humans. The geographic range of dengue is expanding, and much like in many other tropical regions of the world, dengue has become a major public health issue in Bangladesh. Until a large epidemic dengue outbreak in 2000, sporadic outbreaks have occurred in Bangladesh since 1964. After 2000, varying intensities of dengue activity were observed each year until 2018. However, in 2019, Bangladesh experienced the largest dengue epidemic in its history, with 101,354 dengue cases and 164 dengue-related deaths. Notably, this outbreak occurred in many regions that were previously considered free of the disease. As of 10 December 2022, a total of 60,078 dengue cases and 266 dengue-related deaths were reported in Bangladesh, with the 2022 outbreak being the second largest since 2000. There is an increased genetic diversity of the dengue virus (DENV) in Bangladesh and all four DENV serotypes are prevalent and co-circulating, which increases the risk for severe dengue owing to the antibody-dependent enhancement effect. Vector control remains the mainstay of dengue outbreak prevention; however, the vector control programs adopted in Bangladesh seem inadequate, requiring improved vector control strategies. In this review, we provide an overview of the epidemiology of DENV infection and the risks for a severe dengue outbreak in Bangladesh. Additionally, we discuss different dengue vector control strategies, from which the most suitable and effective measures can be applied in the context of Bangladesh for tackling future dengue epidemics.

The objectives of this study were to compare dengue virus (DENV) cases, deaths, case-fatality ratio [CFR], and meteorological parameters between the first and the recent decades of this century (2000–2010 vs. 2011–2022) and to describe the trends, seasonality, and impact of change of temperature and rainfall patterns on transmission dynamics of dengue in Bangladesh. For the period 2000–2022, dengue cases and death data from Bangladesh’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare’s website, and meteorological data from the Bangladesh Meteorological Department were analyzed. A Poisson regression model was performed to identify the impact of meteorological parameters on the monthly dengue cases. A forecast of dengue cases was performed using an autoregressive integrated moving average model. Over the past 23 yr, a total of 244,246 dengue cases were reported including 849 deaths (CFR = 0.35%). The mean annual number of dengue cases increased 8 times during the second decade, with 2,216 cases during 2000–2010 vs. 18,321 cases during 2011–2022. The mean annual number of deaths doubled (21 vs. 46), but the overall CFR has decreased by one-third (0.69% vs. 0.23%). Concurrently, the annual mean temperature increased by 0.49 °C, and rainfall decreased by 314 mm with altered precipitation seasonality. Monthly mean temperature (Incidence risk ratio [IRR]: 1.26), first-lagged rainfall (IRR: 1.08), and second-lagged rainfall (IRR: 1.17) were significantly associated with monthly dengue cases. The increased local temperature and changes in rainfall seasonality might have contributed to the increased dengue cases in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh reported the highest number of annual deaths (n = 281) related to dengue virus infection in 2022 since the virus reappeared in the country in 2000. Earlier studies showed that >92% of the annual cases occurred between the months of August and September. The 2022 outbreak is characterized by late onset of dengue cases with unusually higher deaths in colder months, that is, October–December. Here we present possible hypotheses and explanations for this late resurgence of dengue cases. First, in 2022, the rainfall started late in the season. Compared to the monthly average rainfall for September and October between 2003 and 2021, there was 137 mm of additional monthly rainfall recorded in September and October 2022. Furthermore, the year 2022 was relatively warmer with a 0.71°C increased temperature than the mean annual temperature of the past 20 yr. Second, a new dengue virus serotype, DENV-4, had recently reintroduced/reappeared in 2022 and become the dominant serotype in the country for a large naïve population. Third, the post-pandemic return of normalcy after 2 yr of nonpharmaceutical social measures facilitates extra mosquito breeding habitats, especially in construction sites. Community engagement and regular monitoring and destruction of Aedes mosquitoes’ habitats should be prioritized to control dengue virus outbreaks in Bangladesh.

Lumpy skin disease is explained as a significant cattle disease affecting cattle of many parts of the world. An outbreak was experienced in different parts of Bangladesh including Barishal for the first time in the last quarter of 2019. This investigation was carried out to know the outbreak scenario of the disease in southern part of Bangladesh. A total of 726 cattle were included in this study covering 50 dairy farms of Barishal region from September 2019 to December 2019. Morbidity rate was found 21% (CI: 18-24%) and mortality was 1% (CI: 1-2%) in the outbreak area. Young animals (24%) and pregnant animals (70%) were significantly more susceptible compared to aged animals (17%) and non-pregnant animals (15%), respectively. Moreover, male and crossbred cattle were slightly more prone to the infection in comparison to their counterparts. About 45% of the affected animals showed nodular and remaining 55% had edematous lesions. Almost 90% of the affected animals were treated with NSAID followed by antibiotics, antihistaminic, steroid drugs and antiviral drugs where only 20% of the affected animals were treated by authorized veterinary personnel. This was the first epidemiological investigation in the mentioned outbreak area which may serve as a baseline for LSD research in the location needed for developing effective control strategy.

Backyard chickens are the most popular poultry in Bangladesh due to their production potential, and income generation. However, this farming can be a factor in zoonotic disease transmission. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) related to biosecurity and management among backyard chicken households in Bangladesh. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 295 households in six sub-districts of different six divisions of Bangladesh. The study used a convenient sampling technique to choose the divisions, then the districts and sub-districts. A well-structured pre-tested questionnaire was used to interview randomly selected households. In this study, most of the respondents relied on agriculture crop production (n=128) as their primary source of income, relied on scavenging for their birds’ feeding (34%), or fed their chickens whole or broken rice (32%), used tube well water (58%), used ash (38%) or sand (28%) as litter material. A significant proportion of households (40%) did not use any nest box at all. Results also showed that the most reported poultry diseases among backyard poultry farmers were Newcastle disease (49%), followed by coccidiosis (30%), fowl cholera (12%), and fowl pox (9%). In the multivariate logistic regression model, knowledge of biosecurity was associated with the household type (OR=1.4, p=0.04), knowledge of vaccination (OR=3.7, p=0.02), don’t know category (OR=4.2, p=<0.001), provision of the nest box (OR=9.5, p<0.001), training (OR=0.1, p=0.04), and air pollution (OR=0.1; p=0.04). The study found a huge knowledge gap on management and biosecurity practices present among backyard chicken farmers, which can negatively impact public health for instance in the outbreak of zoonotic diseases. Increasing farmers' biosecurity awareness through education and outreach activities could minimize the risk of disease transmission and improve both public and poultry health.

Multidrug resistance (MDR) in urinary tract infections (UTIs) presents a growing global health threat, particularly in resource-limited settings like Bangladesh, where context-specific data remain limited. This retrospective cross-sectional study, conducted from January to December 2023 at a tertiary care hospital in Barishal, Bangladesh, aimed to identify key predictors and risk factors associated with MDR in UTI patients. Of 1,670 urine samples received, 229 with significant bacterial growth were included for antimicrobial susceptibility testing using the disk diffusion method. E. coli (55.9%) was the most common isolate, followed by Pseudomonas spp. (20.5%), Klebsiella spp. (14.8%), and Acinetobacter spp. (8.7%). Of these isolates, 70 (30.56%) were found to be MDR-positive. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that male patients (aOR = 2.2; p < 0.05), samples from specialized units (SUs) (aOR = 6.1; p < 0.001), and private medical settings (PMSs) (aOR = 3.1; p < 0.05) were independently associated with increased odds of MDR. Notably, male patients from PMSs showed significantly elevated MDR risk (aOR = 21.8; p < 0.05), indicating a strong predictor for MDR-UTIs. Compared to Acinetobacter spp., E. coli (aOR = 0.3; p < 0.05) and Pseudomonas spp. (aOR = 0.1; p < 0.001) demonstrated lower MDR odds. Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) showed that MDR-positive status and SUs were the main factors contributing to variations in the data, whereas Acinetobacter spp. and Pseudomonas spp. contributed to secondary patterns of variation. These findings underscore the multifactorial nature of MDR-UTIs and emphasize the critical role of healthcare-associated exposure and bacterial species in MDR development. Targeted antimicrobial stewardship, enhanced surveillance, and evidence-based interventions are urgently needed to curb MDR in UTIs within Bangladesh and similar low-resource contexts.