Screenshot from a YouTube video report by Jennifer Makau-The Global Ambassador. Fair Use.

In Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, a seasonal wave of viral fevers has gripped the densely populated megacity, with nearly every household reporting cases. Hospitals and clinics have been overwhelmed with patients, and finding an empty bed for hospitalization has become difficult. A quick scroll through Facebook, the country's most used online platform, reveals countless updates about the unbearable suffering of people afflicted with this viral fever. Bangladeshi Facebook feeds are flooded with descriptions of intense fever, cough, and body aches.

Niyamat Ullah Shamim shared his experience on Facebook:

একটানা ৪দিন ১০৩°থেকে ১০৪° জ্বর ছিলো, সাথে তীব্র মাথা ব্যাথা শরীর ব্যথা।১০৪° জ্বরে হাত-পা বরফ শীতল, মাথা মনে হচ্ছে গরমে ফেটে যাবে। ঔষধ খাচ্ছি, কিন্তু শরীর ব্যাথা কমছে না। হাটতে পারছি না। floor এ পা ই রাখা যাচ্ছেনা ব্যাথায়। বিছানা ছেরেই উঠতে পারছি না। খাবার দাবার খেতে পারছি না শরীরে তো কোন এনার্জি নেই,
কি যে জ্বর কি বলব প্রচন্ড জ্বর প্রচন্ড মাথা ব্যথা সাথে প্রচণ্ড পায়ে ব্যথা উঠে দাঁড়াবো সেই শক্তি ও নাই।

I had a continuous fever of 103 to 104 degrees Fahrenheit for four days, along with severe headache and body aches. Even with a 104 degree fever, my hands and feet were icy cold, while my head felt like it would burst from the heat. I was taking medicine, but the body aches weren't subsiding. I couldn't walk; I couldn't even put my feet on the floor due to the pain. I couldn't get out of bed. I couldn't eat anything because I had no energy.

What a fever it was! Intense fever, intense headache, and severe leg pain — I didn't even have the strength to stand up.

Nafisa Rubaiyet Nabila's encounter with the fever is even more terrifying:

এইবারের ভাইরাল ফিভার (জ্বর) যাকে ধরসে তার জীবন থেকা ৪/৫ বছর আয়ু এমনেই কমে গেসে। এইটা কি টাইপের জ্বররে ভাই, ৩-৪ দিন হলো প্যারাসিটামল, কোনো কিছুতেই জ্বর কমে না। অলটাইম জ্বর ১০৩/১০৪!! এত্তো দুর্বল বানাই ফেলসে যে স্যালাইন পুশ করার পরও কোনো ইম্প্রভমেন্ট নাই। হাটা চলা করা তো দূরের কথা, বসে থাকা টাও এক প্রকার চ্যালেঞ্জ। একটানা বেশিক্ষন চোখ খুলে রাখলেই সব কিছু অন্ধকার হতে শুরু করে। তিতার যন্ত্রনায় পানিটাও ঠিক মতো খেতে পারছিনা। পুরো শরীরের সাথে অসহ্য মাথা ব্যথা তো আছেই সাথে পুরো চেহারা লাল বানায় ফেলসে।

This current viral fever feels like it's taken four or five years off my life. What kind of fever is this? It's been 3–4 days, and paracetamol [fever medicine] or anything else won't bring the fever down. It's constantly at 103/104 degrees Fahrenheit! It's made me so weak that even after receiving intravenous saline, there's no improvement. Forget walking around, just sitting up has become a challenge for me. If I keep my eyes open for too long, everything starts to go dark. The bitterness in my mouth makes it hard to even make me drink water properly. On top of the full-body pain, I have an unbearable headache, and my entire face has turned red.

When one person in a household is getting sick, it seems the other family members quickly follow. Wahidul Islam Wahid shared his family's experience with the fever:

গতকাল রাত থেকেই ছোট্ট মেয়েটার জ্বর ১০৫ ডিগ্রি আবার বিকাল থেকে মেয়ের মার জ্বর। দুই দিন আগে আমার ছিল এখনো ভালোভাবে সুস্থ হয়নি ভাইরাল জ্বর অনেকেই আক্রান্ত হচ্ছে। আল্লাহ আমার পরিবারসহ সবাইকে সুস্থতা দান করুক।

Since last night, my little daughter has had a 105-degree fever, and now, since this afternoon, her mother also has a fever. My fever started two days ago and haven't fully recovered yet. Many people in the families are getting this viral fever. May Allah grant recovery to everyone, including my family.

Although many suffering from fever are receiving treatment at home, countless patients are being admitted to hospitals. Due to the influx of patients, various public and private hospitals are facing a shortage of beds.

A Channel 24 report on July 4, 2025, stated that the number of viral fever patients in several hospitals in the capital has increased so much that they cannot admit new patients.

Public Health experts on this viral fever outbreak

Bangladesh is currently in its monsoon season. The erratic weather, with sudden heat and sudden rain, creates an ideal environment for viral infections. However, the number of people affected this year is significantly higher than in previous years.

In an interview with the daily Khabar Kagoj, public health expert Lelin Chowdhury identified six main reasons behind the widespread fever across the country.

He stated that the primary causes include mosquitoes transmitted diseases like dengue, chikungunya, newer strains of COVID-19, common influenza viruses, respiratory infections, and waterborne infections like typhoid and paratyphoid. In this current outbreak, most people are suffering from dengue and chikungunya. In areas where excessive rain or floods have caused sewage water to mix with drinking water lines, waterborne diseases are on the rise.

Notably, the country's renowned medicine specialist, Dr. A.B.M. Abdullah, has attributed the main cause of this outbreak to climate change.

Latest on Dengue and COVID-19

Alongside the viral fever outbreak, dengue and COVID-19 cases are also on the rise. While the COVID-19 infection rate remains low, the dengue infection rate is continuously increasing, with fatalities being reported. The Directorate General of Health Services reported 16,281 dengue cases and 60 deaths from January 1 to July 17, 2025.

According to entomologist and Professor of Zoology at Jahangirnagar University, Kabirul Bashar, field research indicated that the Breteau Index, which measures the density of Aedes mosquito larvae, has been found to be above 20 in every district in Bangladesh. This indicates a very high risk of dengue spread inside the country, and Bashar has predicted that the situation could worsen in August and September.

Furthermore, last year's mass uprising led to the fall of Sheikh Hasina's government and the formation of an interim government in August. Since then, local government systems have become less effective, which has weakened the regular mosquito control efforts. However, as Bangladesh faces dengue outbreaks annually and the country's doctors are familiar with the situation, many experts believe that even if the situation worsens, it can still be managed.