DHAKA, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- A total of 900 people were diagnosed with dengue fever in Bangladesh in the past 24 hours on Tuesday, the highest number in a single day so far this year, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said.
According to figures reported by the DGHS under the Ministry of Health, 528 people were diagnosed with dengue in Dhaka alone Tuesday.
With the fresh infections reported as of 8:00 a.m. local time Tuesday, the number of dengue cases has surged to 26,938 in Bangladesh so far this year, the DGHS said.
A total of 23,612 dengue patients returned home after receiving treatment from various hospitals across the country from Jan. 1 to Oct. 18 this year.
In October, 10,846 dengue cases were recorded after 9,911 people were infected with the mosquito-borne disease in September, according to the DGHS, which also confirmed 99 dengue deaths so far this year.
While 44 deaths were reported so far in October, there were 34 deaths in September, 11 in August, nine in July and one in June, the DGHS said.
The South Asian country, with a population of about 170 million, is especially vulnerable to the virus because of insufficient biosecurity and deficient disease surveillance.
In severe cases, dengue can cause joint pain, nausea, vomiting, rashes, breathing problems, hemorrhaging and organ failure.
The Bangladeshi government has asked state agencies for more coordinated efforts to rein in the outbreak of the disease which is transmitted by several species of mosquitos with the genus Aedes. ■