17 Cases of Dengue Fever in Shenzhen This Year

By Angel Song, June 21, 2017

First typhoons, now this: the number of dengue fever victims in Shenzhen appears to be on the rise. From January 1 to June 11 of this year, Shenzhen, where hot and humid weather provides a perfect breeding environment for mosquitoes, saw 17 cases of the insect-transmitted disease, according to SZNews.com.

Compared to last year, that's an increase of 54.5 percent. Even more worrying, three of the cases are known to have occurred in Bao’an District, marking the first time residents have contracted dengue fever inside Shenzhen rather than bringing it in from other places.

Experts from the Bao'an Center For Disease Control And Prevention said the reason for the increase was this year’s relatively warm weather, which allowed more mosquitoes to survive over the winter and also begin spawning earlier. According to them, with the onset of summer we’ve also entered the peak season for dengue fever in Shenzhen.

Despite the ominous forecasts, it's probably not time to panic yet. According to data collected from household inspections, the risk of contracting dengue fever in Bao’an District, not to mention Shenzhen, is still low.

Dengue fever is usually non-fatal, if unpleasant, with symptoms including high fever, headaches, vomiting, muscle and joint pains, and rashes.

Authorities are taking action to check for and eliminate mosquitoes in parks, pools, and waterscapes to prevent the spread of dengue fever. In Bao’an, the disease control center is monitoring construction sites, parks, garages and other at-risk places.

Shenzhen Inspection and Quarantine Bureau staff killing mosquitoes in 2014