Over 20,500 dengue cases registered in Taiwan

Dengue takes over Taiwan; over 25,000 cases of the vector-borne disease registered.

Taipei: The number of dengue cases registered in Taiwan has exceeded 20,500 so far this year, with 56 confirmed deaths, the Centres for Disease Control (CDC) said on Monday.

Currently there are 61 dengue patients in intensive care units while 83.4 percent of the total number of infected have recovered fully, EFE reported citing the centre.

Normally, the months of September and October witness the highest number of infections and another 10,000 to 15,000 cases are expected by the end of the year.

The spread of dengue in Tainan, the worst-affected with nearly 18,000 cases, has been checked, but the number of cases in the port city of Kaohsiung has increased, the centre added.

This year's dengue outbreak has been the worst-ever in the history of Taiwan and has caused a record number of deaths.

In 2014, a total of 15,492 dengue cases were registered, the highest until now.