China has reported more than 7,000 cases of chikungunya virus across Guangdong province since July, prompting authorities to implement emergency measures including the release of giant predatory mosquitoes and revival of pandemic-style isolation protocols. The outbreak, centred in Foshan city with its 9 million residents, marks the country’s largest chikungunya epidemic to date.
The mosquito-borne virus, which causes debilitating joint pain and fever, has spread to at least 13 cities across the southern province. Nearly 3,000 new infections were reported in the final week of July alone, with Foshan accounting for 95 per cent of cases, according to China’s National Health Commission.
Chinese Vice Premier Liu Guozhong visited the worst-affected Shunde district of Foshan last week, calling for “all-out efforts to secure a decisive victory” over the outbreak. He urged efforts to curb imported cases and prevent the spread of Chikungunya both within and outside affected regions.
Hospital Isolation and Mosquito Nets Mandatory
In a move reminiscent of Covid-19 containment strategies, Foshan authorities have mandated hospitalisation for all confirmed chikungunya patients. Infected individuals must remain in isolation with their beds protected by mosquito nets and can only be discharged after testing negative or completing a seven-day stay.
The city has designated 53 hospitals as treatment centres and expanded its mosquito-proof isolation beds to 7,220, according to state media reports. Officials say all reported cases have been mild so far, with 95 per cent of patients discharged within seven days and no severe cases or deaths recorded.
“This is scary. The prolonged consequences sound very painful,” one user wrote on Chinese social media platform Weibo, reflecting public anxiety about the relatively unknown virus in China.
Giant Mosquitoes and Fish Army Deployed
In an unconventional approach to mosquito control, Chinese scientists are releasing swarms of “elephant mosquitoes” measuring nearly 2 centimetres in length. These giant insects, which do not bite humans, are natural predators of the smaller Aedes mosquitoes that spread chikungunya.
One larva can consume up to 100 Aedes, said Zhang Dongjing, associate professor and technical director at a mosquito-rearing facility often referred to as a “mosquito factory”. The same facility also breeds millions of sterile male mosquitoes to suppress wild populations.
Authorities have also deployed nature-based solutions, releasing more than 5,000 larvae-eating fish into Foshan’s lakes and rivers. Drones are being used to detect pools of stagnant water from the air, while residents face fines of up to 10,000 yuan (£1,060) for failing to remove standing water from flowerpots, coffee machines, or spare bottles.
WHO Warns of Global Epidemic Risk
The outbreak comes as the World Health Organization warned in July that a major chikungunya epidemic could sweep globally, with 5.6 billion people at risk across 119 countries where the virus has been detected.
Chikungunya is not a disease that is widely known, but it has been detected and transmitted in 119 countries globally, putting 5.6 billion people at risk, said the WHO’s Diana Rojas Alvarez. She noted that current patterns mirror those seen before a major outbreak two decades ago that affected half a million people.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a Level 2 travel warning for Guangdong province on Friday, recommending enhanced precautions including vaccination for travellers visiting outbreak areas. Two chikungunya vaccines are approved in the United States, though neither is yet available in China.
Imported Case Triggered Local Transmission
Chinese health officials attribute the outbreak to an imported case that triggered local transmission in July, though they have not specified the origin. With the virus spreading globally, imported cases have inevitably reached China, Liu Qiyong, China CDC’s chief expert in vector-borne disease control, told state media.
The virus spreads when an infected person is bitten by a mosquito that then transmits it to others. While not contagious between humans, the presence of Aedes mosquitoes in southern China’s warm, humid climate has enabled sustained local transmission.
Hong Kong reported its first case on Monday, involving a 12-year-old boy who developed fever, rash, and joint pain after travelling to Foshan in July. The case has prompted heightened surveillance in the semi-autonomous region.
Pandemic-Style Measures Draw Mixed Reactions
The stringent containment measures have drawn comparisons to China’s Covid-19 response, with some residents questioning their necessity. Initial requirements for 14-day home quarantine for travellers from Foshan to neighbouring cities have since been withdrawn following public criticism.
“These feel so familiar… But are they really necessary?” one Weibo user wrote. Another questioned: “What’s the point of the quarantine? It’s not as though an infected patient will then go around biting other people?”
China’s approach reflects lessons learned from previous mosquito-borne disease outbreaks. Guangdong has established an adaptive comprehensive mosquito-borne virus governance system amid rapid urbanization, said Lu Hongzhou, head of the Third People’s Hospital. The province has developed an integrated model including AI-driven mosquito risk warnings and cross-border regional defence mechanisms.
Understanding Chikungunya’s Impact
Chikungunya, whose name derives from a Kimakonde word meaning “that which bends up”, typically causes symptoms within three to seven days of infection. Fever and severe joint pain are the primary symptoms, often accompanied by rash, headache, and muscle pain.
While most patients recover within a week, up to 40% of the people who are infected with chikungunya can develop long-term disabilities that can last for a few months or even years, according to WHO experts. Those at highest risk for severe disease include newborns, the elderly, and people with underlying conditions such as heart disease or diabetes.
The virus was first identified in Tanzania in 1952 before spreading across sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. Major outbreaks have occurred in India, which recorded 1.3 million suspected cases in 2006, and more recently in the Americas, where Brazil has reported over 185,000 cases this year alone.
Coordinated Response Across Province
Guangdong authorities have launched a province-wide campaign to eliminate mosquito breeding sites, with Guangzhou initiating a week-long eradication effort. The campaign focuses on removing stagnant water, conducting targeted disinfection of high-risk areas, and implementing grid-based management systems.
Deputy Director of China’s National Health Commission Shen Hongbing, who visited Foshan on Saturday, emphasised the need for enhanced environmental sanitation and thorough elimination of mosquito breeding sites. Health officials note that the impact of control measures will take time due to the disease’s incubation period of two to nine days.
The outbreak’s scale has been attributed to high global virus prevalence, favourable climate conditions following the summer typhoon season, and a particularly efficient strain spreading via Aedes mosquitoes. While China recorded its first imported case in 2008 and experienced small outbreaks in 2010 and 2019, none have approached this year’s magnitude.
As authorities work to contain the spread, the Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control has reassured northern residents that local transmission risk remains very low due to limited mosquito populations. However, the outbreak serves as a stark reminder of the growing global threat posed by mosquito-borne diseases as climate change expands vector habitats worldwide.
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