China's top health authority released on Thursday an updated version of diagnosis and treatment guideline for chikungunya fever as parts of South China battle a local outbreak of the disease.

The guideline, jointly released by the National Health Commission and the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, said that the mosquito-borne disease is prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide and its spread is showing signs of expanding.

As of June, a total of 119 countries and regions across the globe had reported domestic spread of the virus.

The virus is transmitted through bites of a mosquito species called Aedes albopictus, which is widely distributed in China.

The nation reported four incidents of local spread of chikungunya fever prompted by imported cases from 2010 to 2019, and two of them developed into infection clusters in the provinces of Guangdong and Yunnan, respectively.

Since this June, the Foshan city in Guangdong province in South China, has been coping with an outbreak triggered by imported infections.

The guideline said that typical symptoms of infection include fever, joint pain and rash.

Few patients will develop serious condition, such as meningoencephalitis, myocarditis, acute liver or kidney damage. The occurrence of hemorrhagic complications is rare.

There is currently no targeted drugs or vaccines for the disease, and treatment is mainly used to alleviate symptoms.

"Serious cases are uncommon, but there are reports of severe cases or deaths during overseas outbreaks, so it is important to strengthen monitoring and maintain alert," it said.

To prevent the virus's spread, the guideline suggested timely elimination of mosquito breeding sites, as well as using mosquito coils, repellents, and bed nets to repel mosquitoes.

Travelers visiting areas that are experiencing outbreaks are suggested to take more precautions.