Medical and public health specialists have advised people not to take antibiotics on their own when they develop a fever as dengue cases rise across Bangladesh. In a report published on July 25, they said ordinary fever should be treated only with paracetamol-type medicines. Headache, body and joint pain, and rash alongside fever may indicate dengue, and aspirin-type drugs should also be avoided in such cases.

The health directorate has identified 59 wards in Dhaka’s two city corporations as high-risk dengue areas. By July 23, dengue had caused 39 deaths nationwide and infected 12,020 people, while 10,911 patients had been discharged from hospital this year. Specialists stressed that people should seek testing and consult a doctor promptly when symptoms appear rather than becoming alarmed.

Doctors advised against buying medicines without a prescription. They said destroying Aedes mosquito breeding sites, removing standing clean water and preventing mosquito bites are key to dengue control. IEDCR said the Den-3 serotype is increasing the tendency for rapid complications such as dengue shock syndrome, which can quickly worsen a patient’s condition.