China – Local Dengue Fever Infections Increasing in Xishuangbanna Prefecture

Health authorities in Yunnan Province continue to report increasing dengue fever activity caused by the bite of infected mosquitoes. As of Sept. 4, officials have confirmed more than 580 dengue infections in the Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture since early August. Dengue fever activity in China is generally confined to southern regions, where transmission typically peaks August-September, but disease activity has been more widespread in southern China in 2013. Infection with dengue viruses produces a spectrum of clinical illnesses ranging from flu-like viral illness to severe and fatal hemorrhagic disease.