Covid-era echoes in China’s fight against mosquito virus

Country hit by 8,000 cases of chikungunya in single month

- ALISHA RAHAMAN SARKAR

Authorities in China are fighting to prevent the spread of a mosquito-borne viral disease after thousands of cases were reported in a few weeks.

The country has seen nearly 8,000 cases of chikungunya in less than a month, mostly in the city of Foshan in Guangdong province, prompting authorities to impose measures akin to the “zero Covid” policy that saw the Chinese government impose some of the strictest regulations in the world during the coronavirus pandemic.

They have also deployed drones to identify mosquito breeding sites, and have reportedly introduced “elephant mosquitoes” whose larvae prey on the virus-carrying species.

Chikungunya patients are required to stay in “quarantine zones” or hospitals, where their beds are protected with nets to prevent the spread of the disease. They are discharged only after testing negative for the virus. Soldiers wearing masks have been spraying insecticides in parks and in the streets, while authorities have released more than 5,000 larva-eating fish into the lakes of Foshan.

The city’s residents have been ordered to discard any stagnant water, and community workers have been tasked with inspecting homes, local reports said. Households and businesses that don’t cooperate could risk being penalised up to 10,000 yuan or face criminal charges for “obstructing the prevention of infectious diseases”.