China has successfully curbed the domestic spread of dengue fever despite rising global infection rates, and the country stands ready to work with international partners to share effective, low-cost control strategies and technologies with regions in need, a senior health official said this week.
Dengue fever has spread rapidly in recent years and is now endemic in more than 100 countries. The number of global infections surged to a record high of 14.4 million in 2024 and remained at elevated levels in 2025, according to data shared on Monday at an event on the sidelines of the World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland, which concludes on Saturday.
Shen Hongbing, vice-minister of the National Health Commission and administrator of the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration, said local outbreaks in China are usually triggered by imported cases.
"In 2025, even as imported cases rose by 89 percent, locally transmitted outbreaks fell by 65 percent compared with the previous year — a notable achievement in disease control," Shen, who is also deputy head of the Chinese delegation to the assembly, said at the event hosted by the GX Foundation, a Hong Kong-based NGO.
At the heart of the nation's effective disease control efforts are comprehensive strategies that include government leadership, intensified surveillance, vector surveillance and control, prompt outbreak responses and growing public health awareness, he said.
Shen said that since 2005, China has established special dengue control funds and steadily increased investment over the years.
To strengthen surveillance and early warning, authorities have established mechanisms for public health cooperation and cross-border coordination at ports and border areas. Intelligent software has also been deployed at medical institutions to facilitate syndromic surveillance and active case finding.
Efforts have also been made to deepen the integration of climate monitoring with disease early warning systems to predict epidemic trends and upgrade prevention measures in advance.
Because dengue fever is transmitted to humans through the bites of infected mosquitoes, China has established a national surveillance network on the ecology, pathogens and insecticide resistance of mosquito vectors. The country has also carried out environmental management to reduce mosquito density and applied automated, digital, intelligent and other novel technologies.
In response to local outbreaks, measures such as designating risk zones, intensifying vector control, activating emergency surveillance and risk assessments, and enhancing treatment and isolation management are being implemented to curb further spread of the viral disease, Shen said.
The country also provides public health education to improve awareness of the disease and preventive measures. Inbound and outbound travelers are encouraged to voluntarily report symptoms and adopt personal protective measures.
On global cooperation, Shen said China has held an international conference on sustainable management of vector insects for 10 consecutive years and offered training to professionals from around the world, demonstrating the nation's commitment to building a global community of health for all.
"Looking ahead, China will continue to strengthen dengue prevention and control under the coordination of the World Health Organization and support GX Foundation and other nongovernmental actors in playing their role," he said.
Shen added that through communication and exchanges, it is hoped that effective prevention and control experience, as well as efficient and low-cost technologies, will benefit more regions and contribute to building a global community of health for all.
In April, the GX Foundation released a consensus statement on the physical control of dengue fever, introducing a Chinese solution that uses tools such as mosquito lamps, bed nets and sticky fly traps to curb the spread of the viral disease.
Shen said the strategy introduces convenient and safe control measures and is particularly valuable in endemic areas with limited resources.
Arthur Li Kwok-cheung, a member of the Executive Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and a board member of the GX Foundation, said during the side event that the strategy has proved sustainable, well accepted by communities and environmentally friendly. It has already yielded tangible results in Timor-Leste and Honduras.
He added that the strategy is now being promoted further in Cambodia and Vanuatu. The foundation plans to further upgrade mosquito lamps and other devices based on practical needs, promote solar-powered and intelligent systems, enhance the accuracy of rapid test kits, and deepen supply chain cooperation.
