(VOR News) – Hospitals in Foshan, the most affected city, have admitted patients, urging locals to take precautions against the Chikungunya virus’s spread.
Reports indicate thousands of cases of the deadly mosquito-borne disease chikungunya in the southern part of China. With Foshan acting as the focal point, Guangdong province has recorded about 7,000 illnesses thus far this year.
CCTV, the government-run channel, has taken pictures of hospitalized patients sleeping beneath mosquito netting. Although outbreaks are uncommon in China, the speed at which they are spreading—nearly 3,000 cases in the last week alone—has raised concerns.
At least a dozen other Guangdong cities have also reported confirmed instances, in addition to Foshan. In July, Chinese officials claimed that an “imported case triggered local transmission,” even though they were unable to pinpoint the infection’s origin.
Hong Kong reported its first case on Sunday, involving a 12-year-old child who had visited Foshan and then developed a rash, fever, and joint discomfort. According to Chinese officials, all cases have been minor thus far, and most sufferers have recovered quickly.
How does chikungunya spread, and what is it?
Chikungunya was discovered in Tanzania in 1952 and has since spread to more than 110 nations. Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific region are where it is most common.
One week after the bite, symptoms often include a high fever, rash, headaches, nausea, swollen joints, and muscle pains. A small percentage of people have persistent joint pain that can last for months or even years, although most people heal in a week.
Although there is no specific treatment and immunizations are not widely accessible, the World Health Organization (WHO) says that chikungunya deaths are uncommon.
When an infected mosquito bites a human, the virus is spread. The virus can spread when a mosquito bites an infected person and subsequently bites another person, although it cannot be transmitted directly from one person to another.
How is the outbreak in China being controlled?
Officials in Guangdong have promised to take “decisive and forceful measures” to stop the virus from spreading.
Eliminating mosquito breeding grounds, which the WHO claims is the most efficient control measure, is a key component of their plan. Because stagnant water can act as a mosquito breeding ground, residents have been asked to remove it from their homes.
This includes water trapped in additional bottles, coffee appliance trays, and flowerpots. For failure to comply, fines of up to 10,000 yuan (€1,208) could be applied. The response has been more comprehensive in Foshan. Officials put thousands of mosquito-eating fish into reservoirs and other bodies of water last week, according to Chinese media.
Throughout the city, drones have been used to find water that has gathered in hard-to-reach places. Numerous cautions have been issued by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention on preventing dengue fever and chikungunya fever, both of which are spread by mosquitoes.
We advise using physical barriers like screen doors, bed netting, and insect repellent spray for protection.
Europe’s mosquito-borne diseases
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) announced that as of July 30, France had reported 49 cases of chikungunya and Italy had reported two.
In other parts of Europe, diseases spread by mosquitoes are also common. In the Lazio region of Italy, the West Nile virus, primarily spread by mosquitoes, killed a 93-year-old woman. This year’s national death toll was raised to ten.
The neuro-invasive form of the illness was especially deadly, with 57 new cases reported in the last week of July, according to the Italian National Institute of Health. Between 2024 and now, the lethality rate has increased from 14% to 20%.
Italy, Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, and France have all reported West Nile cases this season, according to the ECDC. With 43 infections recorded, the Italian province of Latina had the largest number of cases.
SOURCE: EN
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