Abstract
BACKGROUND: Dengue fever poses a major public health issue in tropical and subtropical areas, with Bangladesh facing a significant rise in dengue cases during the 2023 outbreak. Increasing risks include elements like fast urbanisation, climate change, and inadequate healthcare infrastructure. Therefore, a scoping review was conducted to clearly understand the current dengue prevention efforts by mapping existing prevention strategies in Bangladesh and other dengue-prone regions, to compare country-specific barriers and facilitators, and to generate evidence-based recommendations for Bangladesh and other similar contexts. METHODS: Using the Arksey and O’Malley framework, a methodical search was done across PubMed and Scopus for peer-reviewed papers as well as Google andinstitutional websites for grey literature from 2000 to 2024. The PCC (Population, Concept, Context) framework guided the inclusion of studies ondengue prevention strategies, barriers, and facilitators in Bangladesh and comparable dengue-prone regions. Data from 29 peer-reviewed publications and 18 grey literature sources were synthesised, thematically analysed, and reported according to the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR) checklist. RESULTS: In Bangladesh, dengue prevention mainly focuses on community education and insecticide-based vector control. However, there are barriers like persistent misconceptions (e.g. breeding of Aedes in dirty water), insecticide resistance, limited and fragmented financing, and weak intersectoral coordination. In contrast, nations like Singapore and Brazil have used more successful multi-sectoral strategies, including integrated surveillance and infrastructure improvements to eliminate standing water, respectively. Localised clean-up campaigns in Thailand show that community involvement has become crucial in preventing dengue. Though these strategies show promise, innovative ideas like Wolbachia biocontrol must be scaled up. CONCLUSION: Bangladesh should adopt a context-specific, multi-sector strategy that includes community-led education with integrated surveillance, regulatory frameworks on housing and waste management, and a diversified financing mechanism to enhance dengue prevention efforts. Clear political commitment, tailored policy development, and sustained funding are essential to reduce dengue transmission and the severity of future outbreaks. CLINICAL TRIAL: Not applicable. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12879-026-12632-z.