Wikipedia
Since July, Guangdong province in southern China has reported more than 7,000 cases of a mosquito-borne virus, leading authorities to implement measures reminiscent of those used during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Foshan city, the area most affected by the outbreak, has mandated that chikungunya patients remain hospitalized, where their beds are safeguarded with mosquito nets. Patients are only allowed to leave after testing negative for the virus or completing a mandatory week-long hospital stay.
Chikungunya is transmitted through the bite of infected mosquitoes and causes symptoms such as fever and intense joint pain, which can sometimes persist for years.
While chikungunya outbreaks are common in South and Southeast Asia and parts of Africa, the virus is rarely seen in China. How extensive is the infection spread within the country?
In addition to Foshan, at least a dozen other cities in Guangdong province have reported cases, with nearly 3,000 infections recorded just in the last week.
On Monday, Hong Kong confirmed its first case—a 12-year-old boy who developed fever, rash, and joint pain after traveling to Foshan in July.
Importantly, chikungunya is not contagious through person-to-person contact; the virus only spreads when a mosquito bites an infected individual and then bites others.
Officials report that the majority of cases have been mild, with 95% of patients discharged within seven days.
Nonetheless, the outbreak has caused some alarm, as many in China are unfamiliar with the disease.
“This is scary. The prolonged consequences sound very painful,” commented one user on the Chinese social media platform Weibo.
The United States has advised travelers to China to exercise “increased caution” due to the outbreak. What additional steps is China taking to control the spread?
Guangdong authorities have pledged “decisive and forceful measures” to halt the virus’s transmission.
Residents experiencing symptoms such as fever, joint pain, or rashes are urged to seek medical testing promptly.
Officials have instructed the public to eliminate stagnant water from their homes—in places like flowerpots, coffee machines, and spare bottles—with fines of up to 10,000 yuan ($1,400) for non-compliance.
Moreover, authorities are deploying giant “elephant mosquitoes,” which prey on the smaller mosquitoes responsible for spreading chikungunya, alongside releasing mosquito-eating fish.
Last week, Foshan officials introduced 5,000 larvae-eating fish into local lakes. In certain areas, drones are being flown to detect sources of stagnant water.
Although neighboring cities initially imposed a 14-day home quarantine on travelers from Foshan, these restrictions have now been lifted.
Some residents have drawn parallels between these actions and the pandemic-era restrictions, questioning whether such measures are warranted.
“These feel so familiar… But are they really necessary?” one Weibo user asked.
Another remarked, “What’s the point of quarantine? An infected person won’t go around biting others, will they?”
During the Covid-19 pandemic, China enforced strict lockdowns, including mandatory quarantine camps and sealing entire residential buildings or neighborhoods on short notice, sometimes for weeks at a time.
What is chikungunya?
After being bitten by an infected mosquito, symptoms of chikungunya generally appear within three to seven days.
In addition to fever and joint pain, sufferers may experience rash, headache, muscle aches, and swollen joints.
Most patients recover within a week, but in severe cases, joint pain can linger for months or even years.
Those at higher risk for severe symptoms include newborns, elderly individuals, and those with underlying health issues such as heart disease or diabetes.
While there is no cure for chikungunya, fatalities are uncommon.
The virus was first discovered in Tanzania in 1952 and subsequently spread across sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia.
To date, chikungunya has been identified in over 110 countries.
The World Health Organization advises that the most effective way to prevent chikungunya’s spread is by eliminating stagnant water where mosquitoes breed.
