Preoccupied with dengue fever, this capital of south China's Guangdong Province has been stepping up efforts to fight mosquitoes across the city.

While accelerating the disposal of garbage and improving its transport system, Guangzhou has opened hotlines for citizens to report forgotten places where mosquitoes gather.

Besides mosquito hotspots, such as dustbins and garbage depositories, pools of water, canteens and unused tyres on the city's 3,000-odd construction sites and wasteland areas have attracted attention from the municipal authorities.

"Mosquitoes are to blame for the transmission of dengue fever. Our efforts to destroy the breeding beds for mosquitoes are expected to prevent dengue fever from spreading further," said Ling Weixian, vice-mayor of Guangzhou, yesterday.

According to the Guangdong Provincial Health Department, a total of 219 dengue cases were reported in the province by yesterday evening.

Of them, 192 were reported in Guangzhou, 20 in Yangjiang, five in Foshan, one in Zhuhai and one in Chaozhou.

A total of 111 people have recovered, with the remaining 108 still in hospital.

According to Tang Xiaoping, president of the Guangzhou No 8 People's Hospital, which is the only hospital designated by the local authorities to receive dengue fever patients, citizens need not panic, saying that the disease was treatable.

No deaths from dengue fever have been reported in the province this year.

(China Daily September 5, 2006)