South China's Guangdong Province said on Friday that it had recorded 41 cases of dengue fever so far this year, sharply down from 277 cases for the corresponding period last year.

Twelve of the 41 cases of dengue fever were imported ones, mainly from southeast Asia, the health department of Guangdong said. There were five imported cases in Guangzhou, three in Shenzhen, two in Dongguan, one in Foshan and one in Zhaoqing.

Twenty-two dengue patients have been discharged from hospital while the remaining 19 still remain in hospital for medical treatment. They are in stable conditions, the local medical department added.

Nobody has died of dengue fever in the province so far this year.

Zhuhai City reports an outbreak of dengue fever on Thursday, saying 25 people have been confirmed to have contracted dengue fever in the last fortnight.

The number of imported cases of potentially fatal, mosquito-borne disease has been rising year by year, said the Ministry of Health.

Dengue fever cases have also been found in eight other Chinese provinces and municipalities by the end of July, according to the ministry.

The ministry ordered stricter medical inspections on those with the symptoms of fever, headache, muscle pains and skin rashes, especially people who have been to epidemic regions of dengue fever or been bitten by mosquitoes 15 days before the symptoms were detected.

(Xinhua News Agency September 8, 2007)