In the southern Chinese city of Foshan, officials are engaged in an all-out battle against chikungunya, a painful, mosquito-borne viral disease that could spread across the country. Soldiers wearing masks are fogging parks and streets with insecticide. Drones have been deployed to identify mosquito breeding sites. Researchers have introduced giant "elephant mosquitoes," whose larvae prey on the virus-carrying mosquitoes, and thousands of mosquito-eating fish have been released into city ponds.
A virus transmitted by the bites of infected mosquitoes, chikungunya is rarely fatal, but it does cause fever and severe joint pain. It has infected about 8,000 people in China in four weeks, mostly in Foshan, and is the country's largest outbreak of its kind since the virus first emerged in the country in 2008. Experts say rising global temperatures have led to warmer and wetter weather there, allowing mosquitoes to thrive.
To fight the outbreak, authorities are also drawing on a familiar playbook honed during the COVID pandemic -- mobilizing the city of 10 million in a "patriotic public health campaign." For some, that is evoking unhappy memories.
At building entrances in the city, workers spray residents with mosquito repellent before allowing them in. Community workers in red vests go door to door, inspecting homes and ordering residents to dump any stagnant water. Those who don't cooperate could be fined or, in serious cases, face criminal charges for "obstructing the prevention of infectious diseases," according to an illustrated government explainer.
At least five households have had their electricity cut for not cooperating, according to a notice issued by a neighborhood committee in the district of Guicheng.
When COVID-19 spread in China, the country imposed some of the world's strictest measures -- the much-hated zero COVID policy that involved mass testing, citywide lockdowns, mandatory quarantines and the constant tracking of people's movements.
On RedNote, a popular social media platform, residents say they are being ordered by community workers to empty all containers of water, including water bowls for their dogs. Some complained that the policing was excessive.
In Foshan and other cities in Guangdong province, just north of Hong Kong, infected residents are being sent to "quarantine wards" where they stay behind mosquito nets and screens. Some who had been infected said they were given no choice but to go to the hospital at their own expense. (During an outbreak, mosquitoes can quickly spread the virus, picking it up from a sick person and infecting healthy others.)
Carried by the Aedes mosquito, which also transmits dengue and Zika, the chikungunya virus was first detected in southern Tanzania in the 1950s. (Its name comes from the Kimakonde language and means "that which bends up," a reference to the contorted posture of those in pain.)
After an imported case of chikungunya was detected in Foshan on July 8, infections quickly spread. Now, citizens have been urged to spend at least three minutes every morning cleaning out all sources of standing water. Employees at government agencies should not go home until they have thoroughly checked plant holders, tea trays, unfinished drinks and roof awnings for water.
To breed, mosquitoes "don't actually need a lot of water or even a lake. They can spread and reproduce in even the smallest pool of water, like a Coke bottle cap," said Ren Chao, a professor at the University of Hong Kong researching the impact of climate change on the spread of mosquito-borne diseases in urban areas.
The most extreme steps, such as mandatory quarantine for those infected, have not been implemented, but experts say China's pandemic measures are designed to be ratcheted up quickly if deemed necessary.
Q1. What is the Chikungunya virus and how is it transmitted?
A1: Chikungunya is a viral disease caused by the Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), transmitted to humans primarily through the bites of infected mosquitoes, mainly the Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus species. These mosquitoes typically bite during the daytime, with peak activity in the early morning and late afternoon. The virus is not spread from person to person, but outbreaks can occur quickly in communities where the mosquito vectors are present. Chikungunya is most common in tropical and subtropical regions, but cases have also been reported in temperate areas due to increased global travel and climate change.
Q2. What are the symptoms of Chikungunya and how is it treated?
A2. The most common symptoms of Chikungunya virus infection appear 3–7 days after being bitten and include: Fever (often sudden and high), Severe joint pain, especially in hands, wrists, and ankles, Headache, Muscle pain, Fatigue, and Skin rash.
A virus transmitted by the bites of infected mosquitoes, chikungunya is rarely fatal, but it does cause fever and severe joint pain. It has infected about 8,000 people in China in four weeks, mostly in Foshan, and is the country's largest outbreak of its kind since the virus first emerged in the country in 2008. Experts say rising global temperatures have led to warmer and wetter weather there, allowing mosquitoes to thrive.
To fight the outbreak, authorities are also drawing on a familiar playbook honed during the COVID pandemic -- mobilizing the city of 10 million in a "patriotic public health campaign." For some, that is evoking unhappy memories.
At building entrances in the city, workers spray residents with mosquito repellent before allowing them in. Community workers in red vests go door to door, inspecting homes and ordering residents to dump any stagnant water. Those who don't cooperate could be fined or, in serious cases, face criminal charges for "obstructing the prevention of infectious diseases," according to an illustrated government explainer.
At least five households have had their electricity cut for not cooperating, according to a notice issued by a neighborhood committee in the district of Guicheng.
When COVID-19 spread in China, the country imposed some of the world's strictest measures -- the much-hated zero COVID policy that involved mass testing, citywide lockdowns, mandatory quarantines and the constant tracking of people's movements.
On RedNote, a popular social media platform, residents say they are being ordered by community workers to empty all containers of water, including water bowls for their dogs. Some complained that the policing was excessive.
In Foshan and other cities in Guangdong province, just north of Hong Kong, infected residents are being sent to "quarantine wards" where they stay behind mosquito nets and screens. Some who had been infected said they were given no choice but to go to the hospital at their own expense. (During an outbreak, mosquitoes can quickly spread the virus, picking it up from a sick person and infecting healthy others.)
Carried by the Aedes mosquito, which also transmits dengue and Zika, the chikungunya virus was first detected in southern Tanzania in the 1950s. (Its name comes from the Kimakonde language and means "that which bends up," a reference to the contorted posture of those in pain.)
After an imported case of chikungunya was detected in Foshan on July 8, infections quickly spread. Now, citizens have been urged to spend at least three minutes every morning cleaning out all sources of standing water. Employees at government agencies should not go home until they have thoroughly checked plant holders, tea trays, unfinished drinks and roof awnings for water.
To breed, mosquitoes "don't actually need a lot of water or even a lake. They can spread and reproduce in even the smallest pool of water, like a Coke bottle cap," said Ren Chao, a professor at the University of Hong Kong researching the impact of climate change on the spread of mosquito-borne diseases in urban areas.
The most extreme steps, such as mandatory quarantine for those infected, have not been implemented, but experts say China's pandemic measures are designed to be ratcheted up quickly if deemed necessary.
FAQs
Q1. What is the Chikungunya virus and how is it transmitted?
A1: Chikungunya is a viral disease caused by the Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), transmitted to humans primarily through the bites of infected mosquitoes, mainly the Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus species. These mosquitoes typically bite during the daytime, with peak activity in the early morning and late afternoon. The virus is not spread from person to person, but outbreaks can occur quickly in communities where the mosquito vectors are present. Chikungunya is most common in tropical and subtropical regions, but cases have also been reported in temperate areas due to increased global travel and climate change.
Q2. What are the symptoms of Chikungunya and how is it treated?
A2. The most common symptoms of Chikungunya virus infection appear 3–7 days after being bitten and include: Fever (often sudden and high), Severe joint pain, especially in hands, wrists, and ankles, Headache, Muscle pain, Fatigue, and Skin rash.
