Fever strikes 14th Malaysian athlete

Some of Malaysia's badminton players were hit

Malaysia's preparations for the Commonwealth Games were dealt a further blow when another athlete was struck down by dengue fever.

Sprinter Nazmizan Mohamed became the latest addition to the casualty list, to take the number that have been affected to 14.

Malaysian officials were hoping that the mosquito-borne illness that had affected their badminton, rugby and track and field teams, had all but disappeared.

What is dengue fever?

There was some good news for the team after it was revealed that 13 of the 14 sufferers had recovered, of which seven are set to compete at the Games.

The spread of the fever has been traced to the Bukit Jalil national sports centre in Kuala Lumpur, where 85 athletes have been training for the Games beginning on 25 July.

No withdrawals

Officials said it was caused by mosquitoes breeding at a construction site for athlete housing.

The area is now being sprayed twice a day with pesticides and athletes are being given mosquito repellents.

Malaysia, who are sending 104 athletes to compete in 14 events in Manchester, have no plans yet to withdraw from any of the events.

Dengue fever is spread by the aedes mosquito and commonly causes severe headaches and joint pain, although severe cases, especially in children, can be fatal.