Han Ximin

    ximhan@126.com

    SHENZHEN, along with other cities in Guangdong, launched a cleanup activity yesterday to eradicate mosquitoes in an effort to combat the area’s outbreak of dengue fever, one of the worst in the last 20 years.

    The eradication measures will focus on cleaning up stagnant water, in which the insects breed, in villages, parks, deserted factory houses, garbage recycling centers, construction sites and residential areas.

    By Tuesday, 108 dengue cases had been confirmed in the city, two-thirds of them localized, according to statistics with Shenzhen Center for Disease Prevention and Control. The center estimated the number may rise in the coming one to two weeks. In Guangdong, the cases had increased to 24,489, Shenzhen CDC said.

    Among the cases in Shenzhen, Bao’an reported 37 cases, followed by Futian with 21. Longgang and Nanshan each reported 19 cases of the mosquito-transmitted virus.

    There were no reports of dengue in Yantian and Dapeng New Area. Among the patients, 70 had been discharged from hospitals after treatment.

    Xie Xu, head of the infectious disease department of Shenzhen CDC, suggested residents with symptoms like fever, headache, muscle and joint pain and skin rashes receive treatment at hospitals.

    Mosquitoes spread a range of parasitic, viral and bacterial diseases dangerous to human health. A very small number of cases lead to life-threatening dengue hemorrhagic fever.

    Guangdong CDC hoped the outbreak would be under control in two to three weeks with stronger eradication measures. A total of six fatalities have been reported in Guangdong, with five in Guangzhou and one in Foshan. Guangzhou is the worst-hit city in the province with 19,631 confirmed cases by Monday.