Photo: VCG

Foshan City in South China’s Guangdong Province will launch a one-week special campaign starting Thursday to eradicate mosquitoes and strengthen the prevention and control of mosquito-borne diseases such as chikungunya and dengue fever. The goal is to cut off transmission routes of the epidemic effectively, according to Foshan News Media Center on Wednesday, citing information from the local office of the command center for the prevention and control of mosquito-borne infectious diseases.

Foshan has also activated a Level III public health emergency response in accordance with the city’s emergency plan, given the current chikungunya fever situation, according to a notice posted by local news platform Foshan Fabu on Wednesday night.

From Thursday to August 6, all 32 towns (subdistricts) in Foshan will focus on carrying out the special campaign in all villages (communities). While conducting outdoor disinfection, residents are also encouraged to eliminate mosquitoes indoors, including in their homes, courtyards, and rooftops. Measures such as installing window screens, hanging mosquito nets, and using mosquito coils will be promoted to ensure coordinated indoor-outdoor mosquito control, according to the Foshan News Media Center.

In some villages or communities that have reported 10 or more cases in the past 7 days, they will conduct concentrated mosquito extermination twice a day across the entire area, mainly by municipal and district-level teams, the report said. 

All villages will also carry out outdoor sanitation to eliminate hidden breeding spots by overturning containers and draining stagnant water. Indoors, extermination will take place twice a day — morning and evening — in households, yards, and rooftops. Residents are encouraged to close doors and windows, use mosquito coils, install screens, and hang nets to ensure effective joint prevention and control, according to the report.

On Wednesday night, the Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Guangzhou CDC) issued a reminder advising that the current season has entered the period of epidemic transmission for mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue fever. As of Wednesday, a total of 11 districts in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, have been actively engaged in the response to mosquito-borne disease cases and are at risk of transmission. The Guangzhou CDC advised residents to take precautions to prevent and eliminate mosquitoes, according to local news platform China Guangzhou Fabu on Thursday.

Regarding the symptoms that may arise from chikungunya infection and whether infection with chikungunya provides “lifetime immunity,” Zhang Zhoubin, director of the Guangzhou CDC, said on Tuesday that joint pain caused by chikungunya may persist for several months or even years, according to the Guangzhou Daily.

Chikungunya is not a common local infectious disease in China, and there is not much data available. However, after being infected with chikungunya, there will be a certain level of immunity for a relatively long period, said Zhang, according to the Southern Metropolis Daily. He advised the public that if they experience symptoms such as fever, rash, or joint pain in the near future, they should seek medical attention promptly, according to the Guangzhou Daily.

Global Times