Seven dengue patients died in the 24 hours till this morning, which is the highest number in a single day so far this year.

At least 1,054 dengue patients were hospitalised during the 24-hour period, marking the first time this year that the number of dengue cases crossed 1,000.

The total number of deaths from dengue has now risen to 83 while the total number of cases rose to 14,897, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

Some 3,303 dengue patients are still undergoing treatment at the hospitals while 11,511 were released.

Total number of deaths last year was 281 while the total number of cases was 62,382, according to DGHS.

Experts urged authorities concerned to conduct extensive drives identifying clusters of Aedes mosquitoes as soon as possible.