Taiwan, where a long-running mosquito-borne outbreak is common, has reported its first confirmed case of the mosquito-borne illness imported from China.
In recent weeks, more than 8, 000 cases have been reported in southern China, primarily in Foshan, a hub for manufacturing in the Pearl River Delta. Roger Hewson, the Wellcome Sanger Institute’s lead virus surveillance officer, claims that this outbreak is the largest ever to date.
A Taiwanese woman who traveled to Foshan and then returned to Taiwan on July 30 was confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on Friday that the chikungunya virus had been found in her.
Although more than a dozen cases have already been identified and have originated in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka, it was the first case of its kind to be discovered in 2025.
Travelers are urged to take “enhanced precautions,” according to the CDC’s recommendation to level 2 of 3. This is in response to the CDC’s recommendation to level 2.
High fever, rash, headache, nausea, and fatigue that lasts for up to seven days, as well as muscle and joint pain that can last for several weeks are caused by the virus.
Hewson said in a statement that the outbreak in Foshan and the surrounding Guangdong province has “evolved quickly and at a scale unprecedented for China.”
He claimed that the surge is due to the lack of immunity in China and “environmental suitability” for the virus-carrying Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which breed in stagnant water.
Hewson cited the use of drone-based fogging and even quarantines as well as containment measures at the home level and implemented bed nets by Chinese health authorities.
Residents of Foshan, which are a popular mosquito breeding ground, could be fined up to 10,000 RMB ($1, 400) for keeping water in outdoor containers.
The outbreak comes after more than a month of heavier-than-usual monsoon rains in China.
Hong Kong, which is located 180 kilometers (110 miles) away from Foshan, experienced its worst August rainstorm since records first appeared in 1884.
Despite the country’s history of chikungunya cases, the outbreak appears to have reached its peak, according to Chinese state media.
According to China’s state-run Xinhua news agency, Foshan reported 2 892 local infections between July 27 and August 2, but there were no severe or fatal cases.
Source: Aljazeera
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