Chikungunya virus infects nearly 2,000 in Guangdong's Foshan

The local disease control and prevention center in Foshan, Guangdong province, urged the public on Sunday to step up mosquito eradication and prevention measures after 1,873 cases of chikungunya fever were confirmed in three districts.

On July 8, Shunde district health bureau found one imported chikungunya case and immediately started search and prevention work. As of Saturday, Shunde reported 1,790 cases with 34 in Nanhai and 49 in Chancheng. All the cases were mild, and there have been no severe or fatal cases; 720 patients have recovered, local health authorities said at the news conference on Sunday afternoon.

After the outbreak, the Foshan government launched an emergency response and set up a command headquarters for epidemic prevention and control, and coordinated the forces of health, disease control, urban management, education, commerce, housing and construction, transportation, and other departments.

A large-scale epidemic investigation was carried out in key areas, and the city coordinated medical resources to ensure that the patients received timely, standardized and effective treatment.

The public was urged to keep the environment clean to eradicate mosquitoes. Professional personnel were organized to exterminate mosquitoes in households. In 90 percent of the affected villages and communities, the mosquito density has been reduced from high to medium, and 33 percent have been reduced to a safe level.

Chikungunya is an infection caused by chikungunya virus (CHIKV), which is transmitted to humans by infected mosquitoes, with large outbreaks and sporadic cases reported mostly in the Americas, Asia and Africa, and occasional smaller outbreaks in Europe, according to the World Health Organization.