Al-Qoseir schools in the Red Sea witnessed the highest number of student absences on Sunday, after hundreds of people in the city were infected with dengue fever.

Head of Directorate of Education in the Red Sea, Noura Fadel, stated the rates of attendance in Qoseir schools in all stages had dropped to 27 percentage, while rates of absence rose to 72 percent.

Most of those infected with dengue suffered from high body temperatures, headache and muscle pain, reported the Ministry of Health and Population. All of the patients left the hospitals in good health, the ministry added.

Official Spokesperson of ministry of health, Dr Khalid Megahed, said on Sunday that dengue fever had spread only in the Red Sea governorate because the residents store their drinking water in tanks.

80 percent of tanks are uncovered or covered with tinplate lids, which erode over time and lead to the growth of dengue fever carries such as larvae of mosquitoes.

Larvae of mosquitoes are called Aedes aegypti and grow in drinking water, Megahed explained, recalling that Assiut governorate was infected with Aedes aegypti in October 2015, but that all infected persons had recovered.

Edited Translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm