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Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
China unleashes virus crackdown as power is cut off, patients locked up and fines issued to combat new outbreak
Officials across China have implemented Covid-era preventive measures across the country as the chikungunya virus outbreak continues to spread. Over 7,000 cases have been reported in the southern city of Foshan, while 12 other cities in the Guangdong province have reported at least 3,000 cases, bringing the national total to over 10,000. As a result of the rampant spread, patients in hospital wards are being covered with mosquito nets and are required to remain there for a week, or until they test negative for the virus, if sooner. A chikungunya infection causes fever, joint pain and, in severe cases, life-threatening complications involving the heart and brain. Images show Chinese state workers spraying clouds of disinfectant around city streets, residential areas and construction sites where people may come into contact with virus-bearing mosquitoes in or near standing water. Drones are being used to hunt down insect breeding grounds and spray insecticide, and residents are being asked to empty bottles, flower pots or other outdoor receptacles that may collect water. Failure to comply with any restriction may lead to fines of up to $1,400 (10,000 Yuan) and locals can have their electricity cut off, according to state media. While it's unclear exactly where the infection began, the virus is now spreading across the world and the CDC has issued a Level 2 travel risk notice for Brazil, Colombia, India, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, Thailand and China. A hospital staff member carries out disinfection work amid an outbreak of chikungunya in Foshan A drone sprays insecticide to prevent the spread of Chikungunya in Dongguan, Guangdong No deaths have been reported but those experiencing fevers, joint pain or rashes are being asked to visit the nearest hospital so they can be tested for the virus. Chinese office employees have also been spotted spreading disinfectant around buildings before entering, a stark reminder of the controversial hardline tactics used by the country to control the Covid pandemic in 2020. Reports from local media have also emerged of attempts to stop the virus spread by breeding fish that eat mosquito larvae and even larger mosquitoes to eat the insects carrying the virus. Additionally, officials had ordered travelers from Foshan to undergo a 14-day home quarantine, similar to Covid restrictions, but that has since been withdrawn. Chikungunya is primarily spread by Aedes mosquitoes — the same species that carry dengue and Zika. It is rarely fatal but can cause debilitating symptoms. Chikungunya infections are most common in Asia, Africa and South America, though more recently cases have also emerged across Europe and the US. Nearly half a million people were infected during a major outbreak in 2004–2005, which spread across Africa, Asia and the Americas. Dr Diana Rojas Alvarez, a medical officer with the World Health Organization, warned: 'We are seeing history repeating itself,' referencing the scale of the earlier epidemic. Residents walk past a residential entrance gate displaying a slogan urging mosquito control in Guangzhou A global spike in cases began in early 2025, with major outbreaks reported in the Indian Ocean islands of La Réunion, Mayotte and Mauritius. According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, around 240,000 chikungunya cases and 90 related deaths have been recorded in 16 countries so far this year, as of August 4. The virus has also spread to Madagascar, Somalia, Kenya and India and is making its way to Europe. Case counts have also been increasing in Samoa, Tonga, French Polynesia, Fiji and Kiribati. As of August 6, the CDC reports 46 cases of chikungunya infection in the US this year, all contracted by travelers returning from high-risk areas. No deaths have been reported. Roughly 200 travel-related cases were reported in the US in 2024, with no fatalities. According to the CDC, chikungunya was rarely detected in American travelers before 2006. But between 2006 and 2013, the US logged around 30 imported cases a year, all in people who had recently visited affected regions in Asia, Africa or the Indian Ocean. In 2014, a total of 2,799 cases were reported - including 12 that were locally acquired - in states and territories such as Florida, Texas, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, making it the country's worst year on record for the virus. Workers carry out maintenance work on green spaces during an operation aimed at mosquito control A staff member hangs mosquito monitoring device in Xinkaikou village Your browser does not support iframes. Chikungunya is not spread through bodily fluids or saliva, it can only be transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito. It also cannot be transmitted from person to person. Instead, the virus spreads when a mosquito bites an infected person, becomes a carrier, and then bites someone else. Though rarely fatal, chikungunya can cause a range of symptoms, most notably a sudden onset of fever and intense joint pain. Other common effects include muscle aches, headache, nausea, fatigue and skin rash. The acute phase of illness typically resolves within one to two weeks, but joint pain may linger for weeks, months or even years in some cases. In rare instances, chikungunya infections can lead to severe complications affecting the eyes, heart and nervous system. Newborns, seniors over 65, and people with underlying health issues face a higher risk of developing serious outcomes, including cardiovascular problems and, according to some studies, even Type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure triggered by post-viral inflammation. Pregnant women who become infected near the time of delivery can also pass the virus to their baby during birth, which can result in severe illness in the newborn. A staff member carries out mosquito eradication work on a green belt in Guangzhou There is no antiviral treatment for chikungunya, but symptoms can be managed with rest, plenty of fluids, and pain relief such as acetaminophen. The CDC is urging Americans to ensure they are vaccinated if they are at increased risk of exposure while traveling to countries experiencing an outbreak. In late 2023, the FDA approved a vaccine called IXCHIQ for adults aged 18 and older, and in February 2025, a second vaccine, VIMKUNYA, approved for people aged 12 and up, was licensed. Both vaccines are non-routine and recommended only for travelers heading to outbreak areas or for laboratory workers at risk.
CBS News
06-06-2025
- Business
- CBS News
California state workers push back against July 1 return to office, budget cuts
SACRAMENTO — Hundreds of state workers showed up to protest at the California State Capitol on Thursday, fighting to continue working from home and for their paychecks. Governor Gavin Newsom is mandating that state workers return to in-person work at least four days a week starting on July 1. Many state workers are concerned about how expensive it will be for them to return to in-person work, and now those costs may only be harder to deal with. "It really feels like state workers are being punished," said Haley Leguizamo, who works for the California Department of Education. The governor is proposing to cut nearly $767 million in state worker salaries to address the $12 billion state budget deficit. State workers said that means they will not be getting their 3% raises that were negotiated for the next two fiscal years. Assemblymember Josh Hoover called for an audit of what the return-to-office mandate for state workers will cost. "Why should Californians who have returned to office in their respective fields care about this? How is state workers returning to the office impacting them?" I asked. "People working in the office already will very much notice a difference on their highways when it comes to traffic congestion," Hoover responded. Hoover said it is also impacting taxpayer dollars, claiming it costs around $600 million per year to pay and maintain state office buildings that he thinks could be sold and turned into housing. "It's going to be crazy again," said Andrew Douglas, who works at La Bou. Downtown businesses like La Bou are hopeful that state workers will bring a boom, but instead, it may be a bust. "People aren't going to go and patronize those businesses because they just can't afford to," said Vincent Green, an information technology specialist for the state. State workers may also be paying more for parking, up to $200 a month in some garages. The city plans to increase its prices on some of the cheaper garages on July 1, the same day the new return-to-office mandate for state workers begins. The state's finance department gave CBS13 this statement about the budget cuts: "Closing a $12 billion shortfall requires spending restraint across state government. The budget doesn't propose any furloughs, salary cuts, or health care reductions for state workers - but it does ask them to forego a three-percent salary increase." CBS13 also reached out to the governor's office but did not hear back. In the past, Newsom has been standing firm behind his return-to-office mandate, saying that it is good for people to collaborate in person. Some state workers told CBS13 that this is all a political move. "We have proven that we can still do our jobs even though we are at home," Green said.
CBS News
05-06-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Saturday special session? Leaders in Minnesota Legislature hope to avoid layoff notices to thousands of state workers
Minnesota legislative leaders and Gov. Tim Walz hope there will be a special session of the Legislature this weekend before layoff notices will be sent to nearly 30,000 state workers on Monday. They had pushed for mid-week, but by Wednesday they said negotiators still hadn't buttoned up outstanding issues, causing further delays. Walz will call a special session when the bills are complete, drafted and ready for passage. Leaders and key lawmakers have been working on the remaining parts of the budget for weeks, largely out of public view. DFL Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman said Wednesday they are "urgently" trying to finish by the weekend to avoid sending state employees that dreaded message. But other self-imposed deadlines have come and gone since the regular session ended May 19 and lawmakers began their behind-the-scenes work to finish everything up. "We are making progress. It is as slow as molasses, but molasses is good, and we are going to get done. I cross my fingers," said Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, DFL-Saint Paul. This is the most closely divided Legislature in Minnesota history, which makes the process uniquely delicate and difficult to get everything done. It's unclearif there are even the votes to pass some parts of the carefully crafted agreement they made in late May. "We're at a point right now where, quite candidly, and the legislators know this—I'm not even saying as a pejorative—every single legislator is potentially a veto over the whole deal to get some of this done," Walz said. Among the sticking points are how they will pass a rollback of state health coverage for undocumented immigrants—a compromise reached by GOP and DFL leaders. There is also some contention with a transportation funding package and provisions in a tax bill. Many DFL lawmakers deeply oppose the cuts to MinnesotaCare for adults who are living in the country illegally. Murphy has said it needs to be a stand-alone bill to ensure passage, an acknowledgment of the many likely defectors she will have in her caucus, which only has a one-seat majority in the chamber. Republicans will need to support it. House Speaker Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, said for a stand-alone bill to happen, her caucus needs language in the legislation to ensure it won't be vetoed. Republicans, she said, want that assurance, even though Walz signed the agreement with leaders that included the change. "Some of the things that we're looking at is if that would be broken out into a separate bill, there would have to be a guaranteed contingency—say, funding for MDH, or whatever that might look like—that would be a guarantee that that bill would both be passed and enacted," she said. If lawmakers do not finish by the weekend, the layoff notices will be sent Monday morning, Walz said. Failure to pass the rest of the budget by June 30 will trigger a partial government shutdown on July 1, the start of the next fiscal year. The governor told reporters he doesn't think that will happen, but nevertheless Minnesota Management and Budget—which oversees the state's finances and payroll and HR operations for state workers—is following protocols to prepare for that possibility. Some state services, agencies and programs would remain operational in that scenario because the Legislature did approve some budget bills before session ended last month, like spending plans for the judiciary and state government offices like the secretary of state and attorney general.
CBS News
01-06-2025
- Business
- CBS News
State leaders hopeful for Minnesota budget deal ahead of special session
Thousands of Minnesota state workers will be getting layoff notices in the next few days because the Legislature has failed to come to a budget agreement. If the budget standoff continues through the end of this month at the Minnesota Capitol, there will be a state government shutdown on July 1 — the first time that's happened since 2011. For weeks, legislative leaders insisted they would have a balanced budget by the end of the session on May 19. That obviously didn't happen. The state is required to adopt a balanced budget every two years, and this is one of those years. And right now, the Legislature has a lot left to do. Among the bills not passed is the E-12 Education budget, representing about 30% of the total state budget, and the State Health and Human Services budget, which accounts for about 28%. Despite half the budget unfinished, leaders continue to be optimistic. DFL Majority Leader Erin Murphy, who was a guest on WCCO Sunday Morning at 10:30 a.m., says she's hopeful a budget will be ready so Gov. Tim Walz can call a special session for the Legislature to vote on it. "Gosh, even this week, we're hoping that it can be this week. I know everybody needs to give the revisors the time to draft the legislation," Sen. Murphy said. While the Minnesota House is tied at 67 Republicans and 67 Democrats, the Senate has a one-vote DFL Majority at 34 to 33. That slenderest of margins is one reason that reaching an agreement has proved so difficult. Another hold up has been the issue of free health insurance for undocumented immigrants. Legislative leaders — including GOP Speaker Lisa Demuth, DFL Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman, Sen. Murphy and Walz — agreed to roll back the benefit for undocumented adults and leave it in place for children. But the pushback has been swift and strong. DFL legislators immediately protested the rollback agreement, even demonstrating at the governor's offices. Sen. Murphy says with the slim majorities, a compromise had to happen. "It is a very, very difficult vote for me and it is a very contentious issue for my colleagues, and rightfully so," she said. "But it was a chief priority for the Republicans." With DFL legislators deeply fractured, it's unclear how and when a new budget deal will be finalized. Walz says only when the deal is completely set will he call a one-day special session so the legislature can vote on the budget and he can sign it.
