MACAO - Macao has entered the high-risk season for dengue fever as warm and wet weather provides an "ideal environment" for mosquitoes, the Macao Daily Times reported on Thursday.

The newspaper quoted acting deputy director of the city's Health Bureau (SSM) Ip Peng Kei as saying that dengue fever could become an epidemic if people do not take the necessary precautions against the transmission.

As of May 26 this year, Macao reported two imported cases of dengue fever. No local deaths have been reported so far.

Although the number of cases found in the city remained quite low in recent years, Ip said the bureau could not predict the situation for 2011, adding that the disease still posed a challenge to South East Asia last year.

The statistics provided by the SSM showed that the highest numbers of deaths caused by dengue fever in South East Asia were reported in the Philippines, where 150 Filipinos lost their lives and 24,570 cases were reported as of May 28.

Ip urged locals to eliminate the vector's habitats by emptying containers of water at least once a week, reduce open collections of water as well as to keep good personal and environmental hygiene.

To enhance public awareness and encourage locals to take precautions, two outdoor large-scale events were scheduled on June 15 and Sept 17.