Guangzhou, August 10 (Xinhua) – The new cases of Chikungunya fever in Foshan, the city of the Chinese province of Guangdong (South), continued to decrease thanks to a series of targeted prevention measures, the municipal authorities said on Saturday.
Over the past five days, the city has recorded less than 200 new cases per day, which testifies to the early success of the stem measures, said Wen XI, deputy mayor of the city, during a press conference.
No serious or death cases have been reported to date, and more than 90% of cases have been healed, noted Ms. Wen.
Recent efforts have focused on the treatment of patients, the fight against mosquitoes and environmental cleaning. The specific measures include the targeted elimination of mosquito reproduction places, drainage of stagnant waters and the extermination of adult mosquitoes. Disinfection work has been carried out in the villages and districts that have reported a high number of cases.
Despite the progress made, the authorities warn that challenges remain. Strong precipitation during the annual flood season, accompanied by typhoons, can stimulate the activity of mosquitoes and therefore increase the risk of transmission of chikungunya.
“We will continue to promote public health campaigns, eliminate mosquito reproduction sites and maintain strict mosquitoes to consolidate the results obtained so far,” said Wen.
Chikungunya is an acute infectious disease caused by the chikungunya virus and characterized by clinical symptoms including fever, rashes and joint pain. The virus is transmitted to humans by infected mosquito bites.■