China is ramping up emergency measures to contain the country’s largest-ever outbreak of the Chikungunya virus, with more than 10,000 cases confirmed nationwide and unprecedented restrictions imposed on infected patients.
The city of Foshan in Guangdong Province has emerged as the epicentre, reporting over 7,000 cases alone. At least another 3,000 infections have been detected across a dozen other cities, sparking concerns that the mosquito-borne disease could gain a permanent foothold in mainland China for the first time.
“This is the largest Chikungunya crisis China has faced,” warned Cesar Lopez-Camacho, a leading vaccine researcher at the University of Oxford. “The virus has never been established in mainland China before, meaning the vast majority of the population has no preexisting immunity. That makes it far easier for the disease to spread quickly.”
Typically found in parts of South and Southeast Asia, as well as Africa, Chikungunya has been reported in over 110 countries. The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) currently lists active outbreaks in Bolivia, Kenya and Madagascar, alongside the escalating crisis in China.
In scenes reminiscent of the country’s COVID-19 lockdowns, Chinese authorities have rolled out “forceful and decisive measures” to halt transmission. Sanitation workers are spraying insecticide across streets and public spaces in a bid to kill off infected mosquitoes — the sole carriers of the virus. Drones are being deployed to scout for stagnant water, where mosquitoes breed, with teams quickly draining or treating any hotspots they find.
The government has also introduced severe penalties for residents who fail to remove standing water from their property. Offenders could face fines of up to 10,000 yuan (£1,036) or even have their electricity cut off. In Foshan, officials have released thousands of mosquito-eating fish into lakes and ponds, while “elephant mosquitoes” — a larger, non-biting species — have been unleashed to prey on the smaller, virus-carrying insects.
Patients diagnosed with Chikungunya are being kept under strict hospital lockdowns. Infected individuals must remain under mosquito nets in their beds and are not permitted to leave until they have spent at least a week in isolation or returned a negative test. While the virus is rarely fatal, it can cause dangerous complications in vulnerable people, especially those with underlying health problems.
The illness typically begins with a sudden high fever and intense joint pain, which can become severe and last for weeks. Other symptoms include muscle pain, headaches, nausea, fatigue, rashes, and swelling around the joints. Health authorities are urging anyone displaying signs of infection to seek immediate medical attention.
Vice-Premier Liu Guozhong visited Foshan last week to oversee the response and instructed local leaders to “strictly implement port health quarantine measures” and “cut off epidemic spread channels.” State media reported that his directives included eliminating mosquito breeding grounds and stepping up prevention campaigns.
Although Chikungunya does not spread from person to person, its rapid transmission via mosquitoes poses a significant challenge in densely populated areas, particularly during the current spell of heavy rainfall that has created ideal breeding conditions.
With no specific antiviral treatment or widely available vaccine for Chikungunya, prevention remains the only effective defence. The CDC advises avoiding mosquito bites by wearing long-sleeved clothing, using insect repellent, and staying indoors during peak biting times. Authorities are also urging citizens to take personal responsibility for reducing breeding grounds around their homes.
As the outbreak intensifies, international health experts are monitoring the situation closely, warning that China’s ability to contain the virus in the coming weeks will be critical in preventing it from spreading to neighbouring countries. For now, the fight is focused on eradicating mosquitoes, enforcing strict containment measures, and convincing the public to join the battle against a disease that, until recently, had never taken hold on the Chinese mainland.