Another health crisis in China

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — An outbreak of the chikungunya virus has prompted Chinese authorities to take preventive measures ranging from the use of mosquito nets and spray clouds to drones to combat the disease, which is transmitted by mosquito bites.

As of yesterday, more than 7,000 cases of the disease had been reported, mainly concentrated in the industrial center of Foshan, 170 kilometers from Hong Kong.

According to authorities, the number of new infections appears to be slowly declining.

This appears to be the largest outbreak of chikungunya on record in the Asian country, said César López Camacho of Oxford University.

The virus is transmitted through the bite of infected mosquitoes and can cause fever and joint pain.

“What makes this fact remarkable is that chikungunya has never before established itself in mainland China,” López Camacho noted. “This suggests that the majority of the population had no preexisting immunity, which makes it easier for the virus to spread rapidly.”

Chinese state television has shown workers spraying insecticide on city streets, residential areas, construction sites, and other places where people might come into contact with mosquitoes. Workers sprayed some areas before entering office buildings.

Heavy rains and high temperatures in China have worsened the crisis, and authorities are using drones to try to find stagnant water where mosquitoes lay eggs. Authorities have also threatened to fine people who fail to empty bottles, flower pots, or other outdoor containers containing water.

They could be punished with a fine of up to $1,400 and a power cut.

The United States has issued an advisory recommending that its citizens take additional precautions when visiting China's Guangdong province, where Foshan is located.

Since the SARS outbreak in 2003, China has employed strict measures to prevent the spread of viruses, including repressive tactics during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This time, patients are being forced to stay in the hospital in Foshan for at least a week, and authorities imposed a brief two-week home confinement, which was lifted because the disease cannot be transmitted between humans.

There have also been reports of attempts to curb the spread of the virus by using fish that eat mosquito larvae and even larger mosquitoes to kill off virus carriers.

Meetings were held and protocols adopted nationwide in a demonstration of China's determination to eliminate the outbreak and avoid public and international criticism.

At a glance

Little title

Gallia est omnis divina in parts tres, quarum unam incolunt Belgae, aliam Aquitani, tertiam qui ipsorum lingua Celtae, nostra Galli appellantur.

Little title

Gallia est omnis divina in parts tres, quarum unam incolunt Belgae, aliam Aquitani, tertiam qui ipsorum lingua Celtae, nostra Galli appellantur.

Little title

Gallia est omnis divina in parts tres, quarum unam incolunt Belgae, aliam Aquitani, tertiam qui ipsorum lingua Celtae, nostra Galli appellantur.