Guangdong combats spike in dengue fever cases

Guangdong is working to prevent and control the spread of dengue fever after the southern province reported 775 dengue fever cases from Sept 9 to 15, up 73 cases from the previous week.

The dengue fever cases included 768 locally infected cases and seven imported ones, according to a statement released by the Guangdong Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday.

Most of the dengue fever patients were detected in Foshan (296), Guangzhou (148), Zhongshan (87), Jiangmen (44), Shenzhen (17) and Dongguan (16).

The subtropical province diagnosed 1,220 dengue fever patients in August, up 987 cases from July, according to the statement.

Zhao Wei, an emergency management expert in Guangzhou and professor at the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine at Southern Medical University, said dengue fever spreads mainly via mosquitoes. The recent rainstorms in Guangzhou are conducive to the growth and reproduction of Aedes, which are directly related to the risk of dengue fever.

"From a historical perspective, summer and autumn are usually a high-risk period for dengue fever in Guangzhou," said Zhao.

"The dengue fever epidemic in Southeast Asia has been relatively severe this year, causing a high risk of imported transmission in the southern metropolis," he added.

In addition to high fever, dengue fever usually causes severe flu-like symptoms, including headaches, rashes, lethargy and joint and bone pain. It can develop into a potentially deadly hemorrhagic fever.

According to the statement released by the Guangdong Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, children, senior residents and those with underlying chronic diseases are high-risk groups for contracting dengue fever.

It urged residents not to panic, as dengue fever can usually be prevented and cured.

Locals are required to pay special attention and introduce effective measures to prevent and cope with dengue fever during the coming National Day holidays beginning Oct 1, said the statement.