MOSCOW, October 2 (RIA Novosti) – The number of people infected with dengue fever in South China's Guangdong Province continues to rise as 1,189 new cases have been reported, the local health authorities announced Thursday.
In total, 16,375 people have been diagnosed with dengue fever in 19 out of 21 prefecture-level cities in Guangdong so far, according to the local health official quoted by Xinhua.
In addition, at least four fatalities have been implicated in the outbreak.
On Tuesday, Xinhua reported that Chinese health authorities have launched a campaign to fight the worst dengue outbreak in 20 years by outlining the major preventive measures against the disease.
Dengue fever is a tropical disease spread by mosquitoes causing symptoms such as severe joint pain and high fever which can potentially develop into a lethal complication called severe dengue, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Currently there are no vaccines or drugs to combat dengue fever and experts claim that preventive measures are the only cure.
