Deaths confirmed to have been caused by dengue this year have crossed the 1,000 mark as the health directorate yesterday reported 17 fatalities.

The death toll from the mosquito-borne disease stood at 1,006 yesterday.

This has been the deadliest year since the disease was first detected in the country in 2000. The combined death toll from the disease in the previous years is 853.

At least 2,06,288 cases of the disease were detected this year.

In the 24 hours preceding 8:00am yesterday, 2,882 people were admitted to hospitals, according to DHGS data.

Mushtaq Hussain, a consultant at the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control, and Research, said, "All our efforts to control the mosquito population have been ineffective. This led to the rise in the number of cases and deaths."

The extended monsoon is another reason why dengue cases are persisting this year, he said.

"Aedes mosquitoes have found conditions conducive to breeding because of the rain. This resulted in a surge of dengue cases," he told The Daily Star.

Entomologist Manzur A Chowdhury said, "Over the last two decades, we observed that efforts to eradicate Aedes mosquitoes intensify when there is a dengue outbreak, but the initiatives fizzle out when there are fewer cases."

He added that an integrated vector management system should ensure round-the-year surveillance of Aedes and the city corporations should run anti-mosquito campaigns from January to April to eliminate the active Aedes clusters.

Meanwhile, Local Government Minister Tazul Islam yesterday said, "It is not possible to prevent dengue without keeping the homes clean. Public awareness is crucial in combating dengue and other mosquito-borne diseases. Raising awareness among the people at all levels is essential."

Addressing a meeting of the national committee on the prevention of mosquito-borne diseases, he said, "Efforts have been made by the government to introduce more effective pesticides for Aedes."