MEXICO CITY, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- El Salvador's Health Ministry designated August 26 as its national anti-dengue day since the number of confirmed dengue cases has topped to 1,145, up 36 percent year-on-year, according to news reaching here on Friday.

    "We have made several plans to tackle dengue and flu. But the most important one is to avoid mosquito breeding," said Health Minister Eduardo Espinoza.

    Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne tropical virus that causes muscle pain, internal bleeding and death. The rainy season (May to October) increases the amount of stagnant water, a breeding ground for dengue-carrying Aedes mosquitoes, thus increasing the spread of dengue and flu.

    The World Health Organization said there were about 50 million cases of dengue infection worldwide every year. About 3 percent of dengue cases can cause dramatic hemorrhaging, which kills 20 percent if left untreated.