A total of 28 people have been found to contract dengue fever in eight provinces and municipalities by the end of July in 2007, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Tuesday.

All of the 28 cases in Guangdong, Zhejiang, Shaanxi, Fujian, Beijing, Yunnan, Anhui and Shanghai were imported cases, with no deaths, according to the MOH.

The number of imported cases of the potentially fatal, mosquito-borne disease has been rising year by year and caused several local outbreaks in recent years. The World Health Organization has alerted all the countries to advance cooperation on disease control and prevention, taking effective measures to prevent the disease from spreading.

The MOH ordered stricter medical inspections at those with the symptoms of fever, headache, muscle pains and skin rashes, especially the 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 5, 2007)