China is taking extreme measures to contain a fast-spreading chikungunya outbreak in its southern Guangdong province. More than 10,000 infections have been reported. The mosquito-borne disease has hit the manufacturing hub of Foshan particularly hard, but health officials say new cases are now declining.
“We are throwing every available tool at this outbreak,” a Guangdong provincial health official told state television. “From aerial drones to larvae-eating fish, our goal is to stop transmission as quickly as possible.”
Aggressive public health measures
Authorities have introduced strict measures reminiscent of the country’s COVID-19 response. Workers in protective gear are spraying insecticide in streets, residential areas, and construction sites. Drones are scanning for stagnant water — breeding grounds for mosquitoes — while community workers go door to door ordering residents to empty containers.
Those who fail to comply face penalties of up to 10,000 yuan ($1,400) and even electricity cuts. “Everyone must take responsibility,” said a Foshan community worker. “If you have standing water, you are helping the mosquitoes spread disease.”
China is also experimenting with biological control methods. Researchers have released thousands of mosquito larvae-eating fish into lakes and deployed “elephant mosquitoes,” a species whose larvae can kill thousands of disease-carrying mosquito larvae.
WHO warns of wider risk
The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a global alert, warning that the outbreak in China is part of a broader surge in chikungunya cases.
“Chikungunya is not a disease that is widely known, but it has been detected in 119 countries globally, putting 5.6 billion people at risk,” said Diana Rojas Alvarez, WHO’s technical lead for the disease. “We are seeing the same warning signs we saw before the major outbreak in 2004–2005.”
That earlier epidemic began in Indian Ocean island territories before spreading worldwide, infecting nearly half a million people. This year, large outbreaks have been recorded in Reunion, Mayotte, and Mauritius, with further spread to Madagascar, Somalia, Kenya, and parts of South Asia.
Cases reach Europe
In Europe, France recently confirmed its first locally transmitted case in eastern Alsace, near the German border. Germany’s Robert Koch Institute said the infection was “likely caused by a mosquito bite” and that the conditions for local transmission exist in parts of western Germany due to the presence of tiger mosquitoes and warm summer temperatures.
Health risks remain
Chikungunya, first identified in Tanzania in 1952, causes fever, rash, and severe joint pain — sometimes lasting months. While the disease is rarely fatal, it can be dangerous for pregnant women, newborns, and those with chronic illnesses. There is currently no vaccine.
“We are raising the alarm early so countries can prepare, detect cases quickly, and avoid a very large outbreak,” said Rojas Alvarez.
Chinese authorities say their multi-pronged strategy is already bringing numbers down. But as one Foshan health worker put it: “We have to keep fighting, because if we let our guard down, the mosquitoes will win.”
