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20h ago

Foshan Chikungunya Cases Fall From July Peak Under Intensified Control Drive

Drones, mass fumigation, quarantine protocols are in place to contain China’s largest chikungunya surge

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A sanitation worker sprays insecticide to prevent the spread of chikungunya Aug. 3 in Dongguan, Guangdong Province, China. The province has launched targeted measures, including citywide cleanup efforts, to combat an outbreak of chikungunya, a mosquito-borne viral disease. 
Invasive Aedes mosquitoes, which transmit the chikungunya, dengue and Zika viruses, have expanded worldwide, including to California.

Overview

  • Guangdong health officials report more than 7,000 confirmed cases since mid-July, with daily new infections dropping below 200 for five consecutive days after peaking at over 600 in late July.
  • Authorities have deployed drones to spray insecticide, introduced predatory fish and mosquitoes, and conducted household water inspections to eliminate breeding sites.
  • Neighboring Taiwan recorded its first travel-linked case from Foshan and Hong Kong has documented multiple imports, prompting the US CDC and WHO to issue travel health advisories.
  • Local government statements confirm there have been no fatalities or severe illness reports in the outbreak to date.
  • Scientists caution that warming temperatures and global travel could enable Aedes mosquitoes to spark local chikungunya transmission in regions such as California and southern Europe.