The health department of Guangdong province urged districts on Monday to be aware of mosquito control as Zhongshan city had by Sunday reported 63 dengue fever cases contracted locally.

A further 22 cases in people who are believed to have contracted the disease overseas occurred in eight other cities in Guangdong, including Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Zhuhai.

None of the cases was fatal.

Dengue fever has been epidemic in some Southeast Asian countries, such as Singapore, Thailand and Laos, this year. Guangdong is entering a high season for the disease with the recent rainy weather, the department said in a statement.