BEIJING - China's Ministry of Health (MOH) has dispatched experts from various medical fields to help investigate recent Hepatitis C cases in the country's southern province of Guangdong.

MOH spokesman Deng Haihua made the remarks at a press conference on Monday, noting that the medical fields include epidemiology, lab detection, clinical medicine and infection control.

Medical malpractice was suspected of infecting more than 200 people in Zijin county with the Hepatitis C virus on February 23.

The number was tallied by the patients themselves and has not been confirmed by local authorities.

According to local officials, a preliminary investigation has ruled out drug injection, plasma collection and hemodialysis as possible causes of the infections, and the local government is launching a further investigation.

Hepatitis C is viral and is mainly transmitted through contact with contaminated blood, although it can also spread through sexual contact or from mother to child during delivery. Infections can lead to liver cancer.

"The MOH has urged local medical institutions to strengthen supervision over medical clinics, especially those in villages, in order to safeguard people's health," Deng said.