AT least 10 people in Dongguan, an industrial city in south China's Guangdong Province, have been infected by the mosquito-borne chikungunya virus.

"All the patients are from Xincun community in Wanjiang District," the Guangdong provincial disease prevention and control center said.

It said 10 out of 15 blood samples tested positive for the virus, but at least 76 others were suspected of infection and waiting for test results.

Most patients suffered fever, joint pains and rashes.

"The majority of patients have recovered. No death or serious cases were reported and no one was hospitalized for treatment," an official at the center said.

The word "chikungunya" is Swahili for "that which bends up," referring to the stooped posture of patients afflicted by severe joint pains accompanying the disease.

Most infections are reported in tropical Africa and Southeast Asia where the average winter temperature is over 18 degrees Celsius.

• industrial [in´dʌstriəl] a.工业的，产业的 (初中英语单词)
• province [´prɔvins] n.省；领域；范围 (初中英语单词)
• waiting [´weitiŋ] n.等候；伺候 (初中英语单词)
• severe [si´viə] a.严厉的；苛刻的 (初中英语单词)
• community [kə´mju:niti] n.团体；社区；公众 (高中英语单词)
• positive [´pɔzətiv] a.确定的 (高中英语单词)
• infection [in´fekʃən] n.感染，影响 (高中英语单词)
• tropical [´trɔpikəl] a.热带地区的 (高中英语单词)
• provincial [prə´vinʃəl] a.省的 n.外省人 (英语四级单词)
• prevention [pri´venʃən] n.预防；阻止；妨碍 (英语四级单词)
• southeast [,sauθ´i:st] n.&a.东南(方) (英语四级单词)
• posture [´pɔstʃə] n.姿势 v.故作姿态 (英语六级单词)