Twenty more patients with dengue fever died and 2,689 were hospitalised in the country during the last 24 hours till 8:00am on Thursday. It was the second highest death toll from dengue in the current season.

Earlier on September 2 last, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) saud the highest 21 patients died of dengue in the country in a single day.

"The death toll from dengue infection crossed 600-mark as the authorities recorded 691 dengue deaths between January 1, 2023 and September 2, a press release of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said.

"During the period, 991 dengue patients were hospitalised in Dhaka city while 1,790 were admitted to different hospitals outside Dhaka," the DGHS daily statement added.

"This year, 691 deaths, the highest in a year since dengue was detected in 2000, were reported from dengue disease while 281 died last year," the daily statement of the DGHS said.

With the new cases, the total number of patients rose to 1,40,711, the statement said, adding, "Some 1,30,309 patients were released from different hospitals this year out of the total patients."

"A total of 9,711 dengue patients are undergoing treatment at different hospitals. Of them, 4,151 are in Dhaka while 5,560 are outside of the capital city," it added.

According to the DGHS statement, among the total dengue positive cases, 53,687 are female and 87,024 are male. Of the total deaths, 403 are female and 288 male.

The authorities have recorded the highest number of dengue positive cases outside Dhaka in August this year meaning the mosquito disease gripped the entire country.

August witnessed 71,976 dengue positive cases, the highest cases in a single month since dengue outbreak began in 2000 in the country while 342 dengue-related deaths were reported in the current month, the DGHS statement said.

According to health experts, the vector-borne disease hit Dhaka city in 2000 subsequently the dengue positive cases were detected in Dhaka city only.

But the dengue disease is changing its nature and it is gradually spreading across the country, they said, adding all 64 districts of the country have witnessed dengue positive cases.

July alone recorded 43,854 dengue positive cases with 204 deaths, the DGHS statement read.