China records more chikungunya cases as it battles 'largest outbreak'
It takes the tally to more than 10,000 cases overall, with infections also reported in Taiwan and Hong Kong , as well as in Europe and travel-acquired cases in the US. The reported figure for the latest week is, however, below that for the previous seven-day period at 2,892 cases, in a sign that the outbreak could now be slowing. Chinese officials say there have been no cases of severe disease or death reported during the outbreak.
The spread of the mosquito-borne disease has triggered restrictions in China not seen since the Covid pandemic, with disinfectant sprayed in streets and patients quarantined in hospitals. Officials have also deployed insecticide-spraying drones, 'cannibal' mosquitoes and killer fish to eliminate any insects that could be carrying the virus. It has also triggered alarm in the US, with CDC officials saying they are 'assessing' the situation and warning Americans to take protective measures, such as wearing insect repellent or long-sleeved clothes if they travel to the area.
Experts in the US say the disease is just 'one plane ride' from reaching American shores. China's record-breaking outbreak is in Guangdong province, on the southern coast, with almost all the infections reported in the city of Foshan. In the latest update from the Guangdong Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, revealed by the Yangcheng Evening News, officials reported that of the new cases, 1,212 were in Foshan.
Another 103 cases were reported in Guangzhou, the largest city in the province, while 39 cases were reported in Zhanjiang. It was not clear where the other 33 cases were within the province. Officials heralded the figures as the lowest weekly count reported since the peak of the outbreak in the week to July 20 to 26, when they said they recorded 2,940 cases. In a statement to DailyMail.com last week, a CDC spokesman said: 'CDC is aware of the reported chikungunya outbreak in Guangdong Province in China and is currently assessing the size and extent of the outbreak.'
The agency has already issued a level two warning for the area, advising Americans to take advanced precautions when traveling to the region. On Friday, Hong Kong said it had detected another two cases linked to the outbreak, taking its chikungunya tally to five infections reported this year. One was a 66-year-old woman who was reported to have traveled to Foshan alone from July 24 to August 5 to see family, before returning to Hong Kong. The patient began suffering from fever, rash and joint pain on August 6 and went to the hospital. She has now been discharged.
It also reported another suspected case in a healthy 22-year-old woman who was suffering from joint pain and fever. She had recently traveled to Madagascar, Mauritius and Malaysia before returning to the territory, and reported having been bitten by mosquitoes during her trip. Also on Friday, Taiwan reported its first case linked to the outbreak in China, in a woman in her 40s who had recently returned from Foshan and Shenzhen. A day after returning to Taiwan she developed a fever, rash and pain in her limbs. Officials said she was admitted to the hospital. She also reported being bitten by mosquitoes.
It is rarely fatal, but can leave people with lifelong complications including joint inflammation and pain that lasts for years. Patients who are very young, elderly or have underlying conditions are most at risk because of their weakened immune systems. There is no treatment for the virus, with doctors instead using over-the-counter painkillers, fluids and rest to ease symptoms. There are two vaccines available.
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