On November 3, Bangladesh logged nine dengue deaths, the highest in a single day, this year.

“As many as 353 dengue patients were hospitalized in Dhaka city and 332 patients were admitted to hospitals outside Dhaka during the past 24 hours,” a press release of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said.”A total of 217 people died from dengue disease between January 1 and November 17. The first death from dengue was reported on June 21, this year,” the daily statement of the DGHS said.

With the new cases, the total number of dengue patients this year rose to 51,444 while some 48,477 patients were released from the hospitals.

The DGHS sources said Mirpur, Uttara, Mugda, Jatrabari, Dhanmondi and Mohammadpur in Dhaka city have been identified as dengue hotspots. It said the highest number of cases has been detected in Cox’s Bazar after Dhaka.

Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne illness that occurs in tropical and subtropical areas of the world. Outbreak of the disease is usually seasonal, peaking during and after rainy seasons.

The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies dengue as one of the top 10 threats to public health.