Online Desk: At least 20 more people died from dengue in 24 hours preceding 8:00am today as the country grapples with a record outbreak of the mosquito-borne disease. Of the 20 deaths, 11 were reported in the capital. At least 2,689 dengue patients were hospitalised in the 24-hour period, according to data from the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

Dengue has so far claimed at least 691 lives this year and nearly 140,711 were infected, making this the deadliest year since the first recorded epidemic in 2000. According to DGHS data, 9,711 dengue patients were undergoing treatment at different hospitals across the country. A total of 130,309 patients have so far been released from hospitals across the country this year.

Hospitals, especially in Dhaka, are struggling to accommodate the large number of patients suffering high fever, joint pain, and vomiting, health officials said. The government has taken initiatives to limit the spread of mosquito-borne diseases, they added.

There is no vaccine or drug that specifically treats dengue, which is common in South Asia during the June-to-September monsoon season when the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the carrier of the deadly virus, thrives in stagnant water.