Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne viral infection. [Photo/VCG]

Guangzhou Customs is working to prevent the spread of dengue fever in the Guangdong provincial capital after a total of 129 tests for the virus have been confirmed to be positive since the beginning of the year.

The figure was 2.15 times more than that recorded in the same period of the previous year, according to a statement released by Guangzhou Customs over the weekend.

Of the dengue fever patients detected this year, more than 95 percent have once visited Southeast Asia, according to the statement.

In June alone, a total of 49 positive dengue fever cases were detected in the southern metropolis, known as the southern gateway of the country, which was a substantial jump from the same month in 2018, the statement said.

Concrete and effective measures are now being taken to prevent the entry of the epidemic, which is breaking out in some Southeast Asian nations that are usually major destinations for local tourists, said the statement.

Guangzhou Customs has urged passengers and tourists to pay close attention on the epidemic when they visit the nations and regions that now have high incidence of the epidemic. They should report to relevant departments if they suspect to have obtained the disease in the months to come, said the statement.

People who travel to the affected countries might carry the disease back home with them, said the statement.

Dengue fever, a mosquito-borne viral infection, usually causes severe flu-like symptoms, including headaches, rashes, lethargy, as well as joint and bone pain. It can develop into potentially a deadly hemorrhagic fever.

Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport has now opened 28 international flights to Southeast Asian nations, with more than 1,000 flights taking off and landing weekly.

More than 110,000 passengers leave and arrive in Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, a major aviation hub in the southern Chinese region to and from Southeast Asia every week.

Residents participate in an activity to raise awareness of dengue fever prevention at a community in Guangzhou in South China's Guangdong province. [Photo by Tang Mingming for chinadaily.com.cn]