Update | Guangzhou disease control centre predicts end to dengue outbreak within weeks

Guangdong health authorities said the dengue outbreak centred in Guangzhou, one of the worst in 20 years, would be under control in two to three weeks with stronger eradication measures.

The number of dengue fever cases in Guangdong continues rising sharply, with 899 cases reported on Tuesday alone, the commission said.

Guangzhou is still the worst-hit by the virus at 6,361 cases, including two deaths, so far this year, the provincial health and family planning commission announced on Thursday.

In a special meeting with officials from Guangdong, Guangzhou and Foshan on Tuesday, provincial Communist Party secretary Hu Chunhua ordered local governments to spare no effort to combat the disease's spread.

The provincial health commission said yesterday that 9,161 cases of dengue in 19 Guangdong cities had been reported this year – 14.4 times more than the same period last year, with 85 per cent occurring in the capital. 

Most of the cases were local and only 32 are imported, the commission said.

One more patient, from Foshan, died, taking the total death toll this year to three. Foshan city reported 950 cases, while 141 cases were confirmed in Zhongshan.