Efforts to remove deadly wasps that have killed 42 people in Ankang, Shaanxi province, since July have begun to pay off, as the number of cases of severe wasp stings dropped significantly in the past week, health authorities said.

The city's health authority said the number of cases plummeted from about 40 per day in early September to less than 10 per day on Oct 5, and there had been no reports of stings over the past two days.

Meanwhile, there were no deaths reported for five days from Oct 2, the city's health bureau said on Monday.