Southern China is grappling with a fast-spreading outbreak of chikungunya, a mosquito-borne viral illness, with more than 4,000 confirmed cases reported in just two weeks. The city of Foshan in Guangdong province has emerged as the epicentre, with the Shunde district accounting for over 90% of the infections, according to local health authorities.
As of Friday, 4,014 cases of chikungunya fever had been reported, marking a sharp rise since health officials began tracking the outbreak. At a press briefing in Foshan, Sun Yang, deputy director of the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention, described the situation as “quite severe.”
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In response to the rising caseload, health officials have nearly doubled the number of mosquito-proof isolation beds to 7,220. The authorities have also begun imposing a fine of up to 10,000 yuan ($1,400) in Foshan for households found with standing water, a known mosquito breeding ground. Residents are urged to use mosquito repellents, install screen doors, and sleep under mosquito nets.
Chikungunya is transmitted through the bites of infected mosquitoes, primarily the Aedes species. The disease typically causes sudden high fever, severe joint pain, rash, and fatigue. While symptoms can be debilitating, fatalities are rare. The World Health Organization (WHO) notes that chikungunya shares many clinical signs with dengue fever, another mosquito-borne illness also circulating in the region.
The Chinese CDC has issued nationwide advisories and has stated the current outbreak is “imported,” though no country of origin was identified. China’s first known chikungunya case was imported in 1987, and a previous localised outbreak occurred in Dongguan in 2010, also in Guangdong province, with 253 cases. Until now, widespread outbreaks had not occurred.
Although two chikungunya vaccines have received regulatory approvals in some countries, the WHO notes they are not yet in widespread use, and none are currently available in China.
