New dengue fever cases decline in Guangdong

South China's Guangdong Province reported fewer new cases of dengue fever on Sunday, a signal that the virus is gradually abating as the weather cools, local authorities announced on Monday.

The province reported 910 new cases on Sunday. It was the first time in a month that the number of new cases was less than 1,000, according to the provincial health and family planning commission.

Guangdong reported 1,552 new cases of dengue on Saturday.

The total number of cases reached 31,136 as of Monday, according to the commission.

Guangzhou, the provincial capital, has reported a total of 26,305 cases, and the disease has been detected in 20 out of 21 prefecture-level cities in Guangdong.

Six people have died in Guangdong, with five deaths in Guangzhou and one in the adjacent Foshan City.

Dengue is a mosquito-borne, potentially fatal disease that affects between 50 million and 100 million people in tropical and subtropical regions every year, causing fever combined with muscle and joint aches.

Some 23 provinces or regions of China including Zhejiang, Fujian, Yunnan and Guangxi have identified hundreds of dengue infections this year.