As China tries to stop the fast-spreading Chikungunya virus, which is spread by mosquitoes, shocking pictures and widespread public health crackdowns are coming out of southern China.
Since July, Guangdong province has had over 7,000 verified cases, with around 3,000 occurring in the past week alone, according to the BBC.
The city that has been most severely affected is Foshan. Patients are now being sent to the hospital and kept there until they test negative or stay for a week.
The Foshan local government has posted photos that show patients with the virus in a scary way, with some of them covered in red rashes all over their bodies.
Many people are comparing the city’s efforts to contain the virus to the early response to COVID-19.
The virus doesn’t pass from person to person; it spreads through the bites of infected female Aedes mosquitoes.
But both health professionals and the public are worried about how quickly it spreads. The local administration has promised to take “decisive and forceful measures” in response to the epidemic, and those measures are already in place.
Twelve cities in Guangdong have reported cases of the disease. The virus has now spread to other provinces. On August 4, Hong Kong reported its first case, which was a 12-year-old child who had just come back from Foshan.
The youngster got a fever, joint ache, and a rash.
Even though outbreaks are uncommon in China, chikungunya is more common in some African, South Asian, and Southeast Asian nations. Since its discovery in Tanzania in 1952, the virus has spread to more than 110 countries.
Chinese officials are not taking any chances. Sanitation personnel have begun spraying insecticide on public roadways, which is similar to what happened during the pandemic.
Residents who have a fever, joint pain, or rashes have been told to get medical help right once.
Officials are also looking for standing water in residences, checking anything from flowerpots to water bottles. If you don’t follow the rules, you could have to pay a fine of up to 10,000 yuan (about $1,400).
China has used both high-tech and natural methods to fight mosquitoes on a large scale. Drones are flying over cities to look for places where mosquitoes can reproduce.
They let out giant “elephant mosquitoes” that eat other mosquitoes. Around Foshan, over 5,000 fish that devour mosquitoes have been put into lakes.
While this is going on, hospitals are utilizing mosquito netting to keep patients who are already sick with the virus safe.
But there is no vaccination or antiviral medication available, so the best way to avoid getting sick is to stay away from mosquitoes. You should definitely use repellents.
After a bite, chikungunya symptoms usually show up between three and eight days later, but this can change.
People with this sickness often get a high fever and severe joint pain all of a sudden. Other signs may be a rash, headache, muscle soreness, tiredness, edema, or nausea.
There is no cure for the Chikungunya virus, but most people get better on their own.
De@ths from the virus are rare, but it can be very harmful for older persons, newborns, and those who already have health problems like diabetes or heart disease.
There aren’t usually any major problems, although older people may find that it makes their de@th more likely.