More than 7,000 cases of chikungunya virus - a mosquito-transmitted disease with symptoms of severe fever and joint pain - have been recorded in Guangdong province, southern China since July. This situation has forced health authorities to implement a series of strict epidemic prevention measures, making many people think of COVID-19 regulations.
Among the affected areas, fos Son city recorded the highest number of cases. The local government has required a patient with chikungunya to be hospitalized, located in an area with an mosquito repellent and discharged after a negative result or 7 days of monitoring.
Some measures to control travel have also been applied, such as requiring people from Phat Son to neighboring cities to be quarantined at home for 14 days, but were later withdrawn.
Chikungunya is a disease transmitted by mosquitoes with viruses, not transmitted from person to person. Typical symptoms include fever, rash, muscle pain and especially joint pain, which can last for months, even many years after recovery. Although rare for death, the disease can seriously affect the quality of life, especially for infants, the elderly and people with underlying diseases.
The virus was once popular in South Asia, Southeast Asia and Africa, but is rare in China. Therefore, this outbreak has caused public concern, as many people have never heard of this disease.
Hearing a joint pain that can last all year is really scary, a user wrote on Weibo.
To prevent the epidemic from spreading, the Quang Dong provincial government is applying a series of drastic measures such as mobilizing people to remove stagnant water in their homes, from flower pots, coffee trays, bottles to water purifiers.
A warning of up to 10,000 yuan (about $1,400) if it is discovered that imprisonment water is not being treated.
Release "elephant mosquitoes" - large mosquitoes that do not bite people but eat meat of other mosquitoes, to control disease-carrying mosquito populations.
Release 5,000 fish that eat lentils and throw them into lakes and canals in Phat Son.
Use a drone to scan for stagnant water.
Some people expressed concern when seeing the control measures reminiscent of the COVID-19 lockdown period. China has been known for its "Zero COVID" policy, which applies wide-ranging and strict quarantine, including enforcement.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), chikungunya does not have a specific treatment, and the most effective way to prevent it is to eliminate mosquito breeding grounds, mainly ponds around residential areas.
virus chikungunya was first discovered in Tanzania in 1952, and has now appeared in more than 110 countries. The outbreak in a densely populated province like Guangdong - which is a production and trade center of China - is attracting the attention of many international sides.
The US has advised citizens to be cautious when traveling to China at the present time.
