A heartbreaking tragedy in the capital has highlighted the devastating human cost of Dhaka’s ongoing vector-borne disease crisis. Nine-year-old Arifin Islam Arfa, a primary school pupil, has been left completely orphaned after her father, Tajul Islam, succumbed to dengue fever on 18 September. The heartbreak comes less than a decade after Arfa lost her mother, Marufa Akhtar, who passed away merely three days after giving birth.
Speaking from her rented family residence in West Rampura, Dhaka, Arfa shared photographs stored on a mobile handset. One image shows her alongside her late father, while another captures her parents’ wedding day. Holding up pictures of two separate grave sites, the young girl quietly observed that her mother was laid to rest at her maternal ancestral home, whereas her father was buried at his paternal family plot. Yet, with the resilient spirit of a child, Arfa briefly sought solace in hugging her cherished cat, Bhutum, before settling down with coloured pencils to draw.
Arfa currently attends Year 3 at Rampura Ekramunnesa Girls’ High School. Formerly accompanied to class by her father and grandmother, she now relies entirely on her grandmother, Sokhina Begum. Tajul, who managed a local grocery shop alongside a dealership for the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB), shared the rented apartment with Arfa, his elderly parents, and the family of one of his brothers.
Her uncle, Shafeequl Islam, recalled that Tajul had been emotionally shattered following his wife’s premature death in February 2018. The couple, both former students at the University of Dhaka, married in 2014 following a university romance. Tragedy struck on 13 February 2018 when Marufa suffered severe post-partum complications in Narail and died inside an ambulance whilst being rushed to a hospital in Jashore.
Determined to devote his life to his newborn daughter, Tajul chose never to remarry, fulfilling the roles of both mother and father. However, relatives noted that he neglected his own wellbeing, suffering sequentially from tuberculosis, COVID-19, and chikungunya over the years before ultimately contracting the fatal dengue infection.
The tragic loss has plunged the household into deep financial distress. Tajul left no savings or investments for his daughter’s upbringing, and the family is now grappling with unexpected claims from creditors. Meanwhile, the local community continues to face severe public health challenges due to persistent mosquito-borne viral outbreaks across urban residential neighborhoods, leaving vulnerable households to bear the emotional and financial burden alone.
Expressing grave concern for the future, Sokhina Begum voiced anxiety over her advancing age and limited financial means, noting that whilst her family members are well-educated and earn honest livings, their economic standing remains fragile. The family has formally indicated that support from government authorities or charitable institutions would be welcome to secure Arfa’s education and long-term future.
