South China province reports 1,661 new dengue fever cases

South China's Guangdong Province reported 1,661 new dengue fever cases on Monday, bringing the total number to 23,146, said local health authorities on Tuesday.

The situation is getting severe, with more than 1,000 new cases found daily for the past three days.

A total of six fatalities have been reported by the provincial health and family planning commission so far, with five in the provincial capital of Guangzhou and one in Foshan City. With 19,631 cases confirmed, Guangzhou is the worst-hit city in the province.

The disease has been detected in 20 out of 21 prefecture-level cities in Guangdong.

Dengue fever 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.

As the National Day holiday ends, Guangzhou has launched a clean-up campaign on Tuesday, particularly in schools and construction sites that remained unoccupied during the week-long holiday.

The outbreak of dengue fever this year is believed to be the worst in 20 years.

Health authorities attribute the outbreak to high temperatures and wet weather in Guangdong, where the mosquito population is five times the normal level.

Apart from Guangdong, some other south China regions are also reporting daily dengue cases, including Fujian, Hunan and Guangxi.