Guangdong province in southern China have experienced a dengue fever outbreak this summer, with the capital of Guangzhou accounting for the bulk of cases, according to a Xinhua report Tuesday.
The provincial health agency says since May, Guangdong has seen 6,089 dengue fever cases. More than 5,000 cases have been reported from Guangzhou, while the remainder of cases were seen in the cities of Foshan, Zhongshan, Jiangmen and Zhuhai.
The outbreak is being blamed both on increasing number of imported cases and a rainy season that has contributed to a five-times increase in the mosquito population.
Elsewhere in Asia, Malaysia, which recorded 17,275 cases in 2013, has seen 70,337 cases to date, representing a dramatic increase in 2014.
Singapore has seen a heavy dengue season for the second year in a row reporting 15,206 cases and 3 deaths so far in 2014.
The number of dengue fever cases in Taiwan has tripled 2013 number (860), as the island nation has reported 2,589 cases as of Monday.
Thailand and the Philippines have seen dengue cases in the tens of thousands this year; however, the numbers in these two countries are significantly lower than last year. For more infectious disease news and information, visit and “like” the Infectious Disease News Facebook page
Dengue fever is an infectious disease carried by mosquitoes and caused by any of four related dengue viruses. This disease used to be called “break-bone fever” because it sometimes causes severe joint and muscle pain that feels like bones are breaking.
People get the dengue virus from the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito. It is not contagious from person to person.
There are three types of dengue fever in order of less severe to most: the typical uncomplicated denguefever, dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHS) and dengue shock syndrome (DSS). Looking for a job in health care? Check here to see what’s available
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates there may be 50–100 million dengue infections worldwide every year. However, new research from the University of Oxford and the Wellcome Trust, using cartographic approaches, estimate there to be 390 million dengue infections per year worldwide.
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