Over 1,800 new dengue cases reported in south China

GUANGZHOU - A total of 1,826 new cases of dengue were confirmed in south China's Guangdong Province on Wednesday, local authorities said on Thursday.

The provincial health and family planning commission reported that the number of dengue infections rose to 26,270, with the capital, Guangzhou, hit worst with 22,378 cases.

The disease, which has killed six people, has been detected in 20 prefecture-level cities in the province, where the outbreak this year is believed to be the worst in two decades.

The government and public have sprayed insecticide to kill the mosquitoes that spread the virus.

"We are screening 500 to 600 people for dengue symptoms each day now. The number was 1,000 a day several days ago," said Yin Chibiao, president of the No.8 People's Hospital of Guangzhou.

He added that about six out of every seven dengue patients have recovered in his hospital.

Dengue is a mosquito-borne, potentially fatal disease that affects between 50 and 100 million people in tropical and subtropical regions every year, causing fever combined with muscle and joint aches.

Hundreds of dengue infection cases were also detected in other places of south China, including Fujian Province, Yunnan Province, and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.