Zhejiang launches anti-mosquito campaign against Zika virus

East China's Zhejiang Province has launched an anti-mosquito campaign to fight the Zika virus, as Zhejiang's Hangzhou City will host the G20 summit this September, local authorities announced.

The eight-month campaign should focus on urban-rural fringe zones, residential communities, and populated regions around markets, roads and railways, according to a provincial conference on Wednesday.

Zheng Jiwei, vice governor of Zhejiang Province, called on people to clean up their homes and workplaces to eliminate breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

Zhejiang has warm, wet weather and is heating up as spring approaches, which is likely to increase the risk of transmission of mosquito-borne Zika virus.

"Zika virus is found in aedes, a common mosquito variety seen in most areas of Zhejiang," said Long Zhenyu from the Zhejiang Disease Control and Prevention Department.

Zhejiang Province welcomed more than 10 million inbound tourists in 2015, and cities such as Wenzhou and Yiwu frequently host international business travelers, which means the Zika virus may spread more easily, according to Long.

Four out of the nine Zika cases in China had been reported in Zhejiang Province as of March 2, 2016, with one patient recovered and discharged from the hospital.

The National Health and Family Planning Commission on Monday ordered the cleaning up of public venues across China in order to prevent Zika virus. Endi