Dengue costs explained

The 200 million yuan ($32 million) Guangzhou spent last year on mosquito control to prevent dengue fever went to more than just buying pesticides, officials said in response to public questions.

The money was also used to cover other costs, including purchasing and repairing equipment for mosquito control in drainages and paying temporary workers' salaries, said Xu Lifan, a health official of Guangdong province, Shanghai-based news portal thepaper.cn reported on Sunday.

The Guangzhou government invested nearly 200 million yuan last year to eliminate mosquitoes - which spread dengue - in response to the most serious surge of the fever that the city had seen in recent years, the Guangzhou Urban Management Commission said on Friday.