1,074 new dengue cases in Chinese province

China's Guangdong province has reported 1,047 new cases of dengue fever, health authorities said Saturday.

Six people have already died in Guangdong -- five in Guangzhou and one in adjacent Foshan City.

Among the 1,047 newly-infected people, 378 were hospitalised Friday, bringing the number of dengue patients in hospital to 2,482. Over 12,000 affected people have left hospital after being cured, Xinhua quoted the provincial health and family planning commission as saying.

Guangdong's provincial capital Guangzhou is the hardest hit region, with the disease being detected in 20 of the 21 prefecture-level cities.

Dengue is a mosquito-borne, potentially fatal disease that affects between 50 million and 100 million people in tropical and sub-tropical regions every year, causing fever and muscle and joint aches.

Some 23 provinces or regions of China including Zhejiang, Fujian, Yunnan and Guangxi have also detected hundreds of dengue infection cases this year.