After COVID-19, another deadly disease is spreading in China, hospitals crowded, Hong Kong on alert; cases have reached…., disease is….

In China, another health catastrophe is unfolding after the COVID-19 pandemic. Hospitals in Foshan city, near Shenzhen in southern China, are reportedly full and can hardly accommodate more patients. Numerous people are ill and waiting for their turn to receive treatment. The illness that is causing the uptick in patients is Chikungunya.

What is the new disease spreading in China after COVID-19?

The Ministry of Health in China has initiated an emergency campaign to safeguard those at risk of Chikungunya fever illness. This is important because this disease has rarely been present in the province of Guangdong. The outbreak has also sent neighboring Hong Kong on high alert.

As stated in the South China Morning Post, local authorities in the Shunde and Nanhai districts of Foshan issued notices on Saturday, calling on all residents and communities to take on indoor sanitation and outdoor clean-ups during that weekend to control breeding mosquitoes.

Which areas in China are most affected by the disease?

The local health bureau said that the outbreak started from an imported case in Shunde on July 8. As of Friday the number of confirmed cases in Shunde was 1,161, with a bulk of these cases being concentrated in the towns of Lecong, Beijiao, and Chencun. All the patients experienced mild symptoms.

Other districts reported confirmed cases as well, with Nanhai district adding 16, and Chancheng district contributing to the number with 22 confirmed cases as of Friday. Macau, which borders Guangdong, reported one imported case of Chikungunya on Friday. The case involved a local resident who had just returned from a visit to Foshan.

What is Chikungunya fever? What are the symptoms of this disease?

According to the official website of the World Health Organization(WHO), Chikungunya is a mosquito-borne viral disease that causes fever and severe joint pain. It is caused by a ribonucleic acid (RNA) virus that belongs to the alphavirus genus of the family Togaviridae. The name “chikungunya” derives from a word in the Kimakonde language of southern Tanzania, meaning “that which bends up” and describes the stooped appearance of infected people with severe joint pain (arthralgia).

Chikungunya fever is transmitted by a bite from an infected mosquito. Infected patients will have fever and joint pains that can last months to even years. Other symptoms include muscle pain, nausea, and rashes. Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is transmitted to humans by the bites of infected female mosquitoes, most commonly Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes.

What measures are being taken to control the outbreak?

The word “chikungunya” comes from the Kimakonde language in East Africa and means “to become contorted,” which applies to the bent-over position so many patients assume from debilitating joint pain. In a notice on Saturday, the public was warned to remain vigilant and that “the risk of individual infection continues to rise”, reported the South China Morning Post.

“Mosquito prevention and control are the most economical and effective fundamental measures to combat mosquito-borne diseases,” the statement added. The stated precautions include removing water that is stagnant indoors and outdoors, cleaning drains and containers in households, and cleaning homes thoroughly to eliminate all potential mosquito breeding sites. In addition, readers were also advised to remove water from a courtyard and/or rooftops to eliminate mosquito habitat.

The announcement also encouraged people to take other personal precautionary measures, such as using mosquito nets and insect repellent. Earlier this week, the Guangdong Provincial Centre for Disease Control and Prevention advised travelers to carefully observe their health for 12 days from when they returned from outside of China, SCMP reported. The authority stated that chikungunya can incubate for as long as 12 days.

Why is Hong Kong on Alert?

Health officials and experts in Hong Kong warned about the risks of chikungunya as a result of imported cases in the city. The last recorded chikungunya fever in Hong Kong was in 2019, with 11 patients that year, two cases in 2018, one case in 2017, and eight cases in 2016. All of these were imported.

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