China fight with mosquito-borne virus stirs zero-COVID flashbacks
City of Foshan deploys PCR tests, home checks, drones against chikungunya
A worker sprays a garden outside a hospital in Foshan, in China's Guangdong province, on July 23, as the city scrambles to contain an outbreak of the mosquito-borne chikungunya virus. © AP
CISSY ZHOU
HONG KONG -- The southern Chinese city of Foshan is racing to contain a mosquito-borne virus with home inspections, PCR tests and drones, conjuring memories of the country's zero-COVID days.
Foshan had confirmed over 4,000 cases of chikungunya as of last Thursday, making it a hot spot for a virus that has prompted warnings from global health officials. The World Health Organization last week called for urgent action to prevent a major chikungunya epidemic from sweeping the globe, as the disease has been detected and transmitted in 119 countries.
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