Morning Update: China learns its COVID-19 lessons

Globe and Mail

a day ago

Good morning. China is pulling out all the stops to control the spread of the chikungunya virus – more on that below, along with Europe's record-breaking heat and Taylor Swift's new album. But first:
I'm James Griffiths, The Globe's Asia correspondent. As reports emerged of chikungunya – a virus spread by mosquitoes that can cause fever and intense joint pain – spreading rapidly in Southern China last month, I'm sure I was not alone in Hong Kong in thinking, 'Not again.' The last time there was an epidemic across the border was in early 2020, and, well, we all know how that went.
But even as the number of cases exploded – growing to at least 9,000 in the past four weeks, the worst chikungunya outbreak in Chinese history, with infections recorded in Hong Kong and as far afield as Beijing – authorities in Guangdong province demonstrated they had learned the hard lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic, responding with an alacrity and intensity that appear to have brought the outbreak under control. There were fewer than 200 new daily cases over the weekend, down from more than 600 a couple of weeks ago.
'After the pandemic, our response to similar public health emergencies has become much faster,' said Xia Yankai, a researcher at Nanjing Medical University's School of Public Health. 'Health systems in many areas are mobilized, and information on incoming and outgoing cases can be shared and co-ordinated across regions.'
In Foshan, the city at the heart of the chikungunya outbreak, officials pulled out all the stops, dispatching workers and even drones to spray clouds of pesticide in areas where mosquitoes might breed and conducting door-to-door inspections of affected neighbourhoods to search for stagnant water that could house insect larvae.
At times, the tactics were reminiscent of the more draconian elements of China's zero-COVID response, especially the sight of workers in full hazmat gear barging into people's homes and neighbouring cities issuing isolation orders for people who had travelled from Foshan.
But chikungunya is not COVID – it can't be spread person-to-person, for one thing – and many of the more over-the-top containment measures were reversed or abandoned soon after criticism spread online.
Public support for mosquito control measures also appears to be strong, another echo of the early days of the pandemic, when millions of people across China happily went along with the government's tough test, trace and isolate measures, which were hugely successful in controlling COVID and limiting deaths.
It's easy to forget now, but opposition to zero-COVID policies in China only grew after vaccines became widely available and authorities didn't ease up on their approach (in part because vaccine uptake and distribution were not sufficient, which led to needless deaths when the virus finally did break loose).
The apparent success of the anti-chikungunya efforts could yet prove short-lived: The outbreak was caused at least in part by wet weather, creating ideal breeding conditions for mosquitoes, and more rain is on the way. As Hong Kong's health director, Ronald Lam, warned Sunday, global warming is also making outbreaks of chikungunya – along with other diseases spread by mosquitoes, such as Zika and dengue fever – more common, so it is more important than ever to learn how to control them as quickly as possible.
Temperatures soared past 40 C in southern Europe yesterday, as thousands of firefighters wrestled with blazes in Portugal, Spain, France and Greece. Read more here about the sweltering heat wave that could last into next week.
At home: An evacuation alert has been issued for 20,000 Newfoundlanders after a new wildfire erupted south of St. John's.
Abroad: With Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin set to meet in Alaska on Friday, Volodymyr Zelensky said he won't give up Ukrainian territory as part of a ceasefire deal.
Middle East: As Israel intensifies its bombing of Gaza, the country has launched discussions with South Sudan about relocating Palestinians out of the Strip.
Tech: Toronto biomedical startup BenchSci has cut nearly a quarter of its staff, saying their work can be done instead by generative AI.
Taylor: Swifties, rejoice – the singer has announced her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, complete with a sparkly orange colour scheme.