At least 21 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 deaths, 10 were reported in the capital.

At least 3,015 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 867 lives this year and nearly 1,76,810 were infected, making this the deadliest year since the first recorded epidemic in 2000.

According to DGHS data, 10,263 dengue patients were undergoing treatment at different hospitals across the country.

A total of 1,65,680 patients have so far been released from hospitals across the country 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.