Watch out for dengue, malaria, public told

China's top health authority has issued a public alert for dengue fever and malaria, which pose a risk to more than half the world's population.

The alert was announced at a news conference on Thursday by the National Health and Family Planning Commission to mark World Health Day, which is celebrated on Monday, the anniversary of the founding of the World Health Organization in 1948.

The commission's focus this year is on pathogens and parasites that spread via certain "vectors", or paths - via mosquitoes, sandflies and ticks - or from one infected animal to another, including humans. Besides dengue fever and malaria, bubonic plague and epidemic encephalitis B are concerns.