According to the Xiamen Inspection and Quarantine Bureau, a passenger arriving at Xiamen airport from the Philippines was detected carrying the dengue virus on September 8.
It is the third confirmed dengue fever case detected at Xiamen airport this year. The source countries of the dengue virus include Indonesia and the Philippines.
The male passenger said he had been on a two-week business trip to the Philippines, where he had been bitten by mosquitoes. He denied having any contact with patients of similar symptoms or a blood transfusion in the Philippines.
The dengue fever check points were set up to provide free checks and consultancy for inbound and outbound tourists at Xiamen ports.
The incubation period of dengue fever is between 4 and 10 days. It is a mosquito-borne, potentially fatal disease that affects more than 100 countries and regions in tropical and subtropical regions, causing fever and muscle and joint aches.
Dengue fever is taking its toll on the Taiwan tourism industry as more than 50 percent of tourists cancelled their tours amid the dengue fever outbreak in Taiwan.
As of September 14, Taiwan has reported 9,566 dengue fever cases since May, and 98.7 percent of the reported dengue fever cases were in Tainan, Kaosiung and Pingdong.
Since May 1, 18 people in Taiwan have been confirmed to have died from the disease. According to Taiwan authorities, the peak period will occur by the end of October and the total number of dengue fever cases is expected to reach 37,000.
