Dhaka, Jul 5 (IANS): Bangladesh reported 678 dengue cases in the last 24 hours -- the highest single-day spike so far this year, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said.

Also in the same period, five people died due to the mosquito-borne disease, the highest number since January, which raised the official dengue death toll to 61 this year, reports Xinhua news agency.

According to figures released by the DGHS under the Ministry of Health, 429 people were diagnosed with dengue in the capital city of Dhaka alone on Tuesday.

With the fresh infections, the total number of dengue cases has surged to 9,871 in Bangladesh so far this year, the DGHS said.

A total of 8,141 dengue patients have returned home after receiving treatment by various hospitals across the country this year.

The South Asian country, with a population of about 170 million, is especially vulnerable to the dengue fever virus partly due to deficient disease surveillance.