BANGKOK, June 20 (Xinhua) -- A total of 19,804 people have been reportedly infected by dengue, 21 of whom were dead from Jan. 1 until June 12 this year in Thailand, said a senior government official on Wednesday.

Department of Disease Control director general Dr. Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai said an average of 10,000 people throughout the country might possibly be infected by dengue monthly during rainy season.

Many of the dengue fever victims were reportedly aged between 10 and 14 years, he added.

The department has launched a nationwide campaign against dengue by calling on people to destroy any larvae-breeding spots at and around their houses, schools, hospitals, hotels, factories and temples, among other public places.

People are strongly advised to see to it that nowhere is be left unattended that mosquitoes may have laid larvae which would become carriers of the viral disease.