Md. Shafiul Alam, PhD, is a Professor, Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi, Bangladesh.
Rumana Sultana, PhD, is an Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Science and Management, Independent University Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Health Secur. 2023 Nov-Dec;21(6):500-508. doi: 10.1089/hs.2021.0219. Epub 2023 Oct 27.
Bangladesh faces distinct challenges as a resource-poor country due to the combined effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and simultaneous dengue outbreaks. Older adults are particularly vulnerable to infection and death from COVID-19. While overall health and life expectancy in the general population have improved substantially in Bangladesh, health services for older adults are still lacking. No specialized geriatric units have been established in hospitals, and no home care programs have been established for older adults. COVID-19 mortality rates were highest among older adults ages 61 to 70 years (35%), and 71 to 80 years (20%) in 2022. Although the country's average COVID-19 mortality rate was low at 1.76%, in older adults, it was much higher (55%), accounting for 14,797 deaths, despite that most cases (55%) were recorded in young adults. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Bangladesh also experienced a dengue epidemic. Around 21,193 dengue patients were admitted to hospitals between January 1 and October 8, 2022. Without a well-established and all-encompassing social care program, the indirect socioeconomic burden of COVID-19 continues to fall on older adults. There is an immediate need for robust healthcare and support services, especially for older adults in Bangladesh, which are particularly susceptible to the dual threats posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the dengue epidemic. Recommendations are made to protect older adults from the devastating effects of the 2 simultaneous epidemics.
由于 COVID-19 大流行和登革热同时爆发的综合影响，孟加拉国作为一个资源匮乏的国家面临着独特的挑战。老年人尤其容易感染 COVID-19 并因此死亡。虽然孟加拉国的整体健康水平和预期寿命有了显著提高，但老年人的健康服务仍然不足。医院没有设立专门的老年科病房，也没有为老年人制定家庭护理计划。2022 年，61-70 岁老年人的 COVID-19 死亡率最高（35%），71-80 岁老年人的死亡率次之（20%）。虽然该国的平均 COVID-19 死亡率较低，为 1.76%，但老年人的死亡率（55%）要高得多，导致 14797 人死亡，尽管大多数病例（55%）发生在年轻人身上。在 COVID-19 大流行期间，孟加拉国还经历了登革热疫情。2022 年 1 月 1 日至 10 月 8 日期间，约有 21193 名登革热患者住院治疗。由于没有建立健全和全面的社会关怀计划，COVID-19 的间接社会经济负担继续落在老年人身上。孟加拉国急需强有力的医疗保健和支持服务，特别是针对老年人，因为他们特别容易受到 COVID-19 大流行和登革热疫情的双重威胁。因此，建议采取措施保护老年人免受这两次同时爆发的流行病的毁灭性影响。
