JOHANNESBURG, Jan. 23 (Xinhuanet) -- Malaria has claimed the lives of six people in South Africa's most populated Gauteng province in one month, the Gauteng health department said on Monday.

    Spokesman Bhungani ka Mzolo said that they were among 483 people hospitalized with the mosquito-borne disease in the province since the start of January.

    "Patients are still being admitted to hospitals on a daily basis," he said, adding "we are getting more and more reports of malaria cases."

    While the department was "concerned and on high alert "about the rapidly increasing infection rate, it did not believe there was an outbreak of the disease in the province.

    "We don't have that breed of mosquitoes in Gauteng," said Ka Mzolo.

    "Holiday-makers coming back from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mozambique, Namibia and Limpopo, are the ones being treatedin local hospitals," he said.

    A person had died at the Kalafong Hospital in Tshwane, two at Tembisa Hospital, one at Tambo Memorial Hospital, one at Edenvale Hospital and one at Coronation Hospital.

    Most cases had been in Ekurhuleni, at 202. So far, 119 of the sepatients had been discharged. Of 45 people admitted to hospital on the West Rand, 39 had been discharged.

    Ka Mzolo said that in Johannesburg there had been 142 cases with 21 patients discharged; in Tshwane 59 admissions and 26 discharges -- one person refused treatment; and in Sedibeng 35 cases and 20 discharges.

    "Many patients have been treated and discharged, but seriously ill people remain in hospital for further treatment and observation."

    Malaria symptoms include coughing, sweating and body temperature fluctuations. Enditem