Guangzhou reports 8 dengue fever cases

The southern Chinese metropolis of Guangzhou has reported eight imported cases of dengue fever since the Spring Festival holiday, with seven being residents returning from overseas vacations, said local health authorities on Wednesday.

One of those infected is a foreign national, according to the health and family planning commission in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong Province.

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, muscle and joint aches.

With the number of mosquitoes climbing amid rising temperatures in Guangzhou, local authorities launched a mosquito eradication campaign on Wednesday to lower the possibility of infections.

Guangzhou was the worst-hit city in the province during last year's dengue fever outbreak, with five fatalities reported from more than 35,000 infections by the end of 2014, according to official statistics. The city spent 200 million yuan (32 million U.S. dollars) on its mosquito eradication drive last year. Endi