At least 13 more people died from dengue in 24 hours preceding 8:00am yesterday, as the country grapples with a record outbreak of the mosquito-borne disease.

Of the 13 deaths, eight were reported in the capital.

At least 1,673 dengue patients were hospitalised in the 24-hour period, according to DGHS.

Dengue has so far claimed at least 1,148 lives this year and nearly 2,35,204 were infected, making this the deadliest year since the first recorded epidemic in 2000.

According to the DGHS data, 4,248 dengue patients were undergoing treatment at different hospitals as of yesterday morning. A total of 2,25,808 patients have so far been released from hospitals this year.

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.