Kaohsiung City in southern Taiwan recorded 466 new dengue fever cases on Tuesday, its highest number since May, said the island's disease control agency on Wednesday.

The figure was 150 more than that of Monday, the agency said in a daily update. Kaohsiung has reported 14,418 dengue cases so far this year.

The whole of Taiwan recorded 496 new cases on Tuesday, taking the total number to 37,720.

The agency said cold weather later this week is likely to limit activity among the mosquitoes that carry dengue, helping control its spread.

Though Taiwan is often hit by dengue, this is the island's worst outbreak in years. In 2014, it saw 15,732 cases and 28 deaths from the disease. It had previously been recording around 2,000 a year.

Dengue is a mosquito-borne, potentially fatal disease that mainly affects people in tropical and subtropical regions, causing fever, nausea and muscle and joint aches.

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