Twenty-five people have been confirmed to have contracted dengue fever in Zhuhai, a city in south China's Guangdong Province, in the last fortnight, the city's vice mayor Deng Qunfang said on Thursday.

The outbreak of dengue was found in three localities in the city. Local health authorities have also found another 16 suspected cases since Aug. 22, Deng said.

Deng attributed the outbreak to the rainy weather which favored mosquito reproduction but said the outbreak had been brought under control.

The city set up an emergency headquarters to fight the disease on Wednesday and has launched a mass campaign to clean up the city and kill mosquitoes.

The health bureau of Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong, said Wednesday that 13 cases of dengue fever, including nine imported ones, have been found so far this year in the city.

The number of imported cases of potentially fatal, mosquito-borne disease has been rising year by year.

Dengue fever cases have also been found in eight other Chinese provinces and municipalities by the end of July, according to the Ministry of Health.

The ministry ordered stricter medical inspections on those with the symptoms of fever, headache, muscle pains and skin rashes, especially 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 7, 2007)