China Launches Emergency Response to Chikungunya Outbreak in Foshan
China is tackling a chikungunya outbreak in Guangdong with aggressive measures like drone surveillance, fines, and hospital quarantines, targeting mosquito breeding grounds. The response, driven by over 8,000 cases, draws on strict tactics from past pandemics, raising concerns about overreach amid a U.S. travel advisory.
China is aggressively combating a chikungunya virus outbreak in Guangdong Province, with over 8,000 cases reported by August 6, 2025, primarily in Foshan, a manufacturing hub 105 miles from Hong Kong. The mosquito-borne virus, causing fever, severe joint pain, and rash, has prompted authorities to deploy drones to locate breeding sites, spray disinfectants across streets and residential areas, and enforce strict preventive measures. Guangdong Governor Wang Weizhong declared, “We must make every effort to win the battle against the epidemic,” mobilizing residents to eliminate stagnant water in flowerpots and bottles, with fines up to 10,000 yuan ($1,400) or utility cutoffs for non-compliance. Chinese state television showed workers spraying repellent at building entrances, reminiscent of COVID-19 tactics.
In Foshan, infected patients are confined to hospital quarantine wards with mosquito nets for at least a week, though a brief two-week home quarantine was lifted as chikungunya is not transmissible between people. Authorities have released 5,000 mosquito larvae-eating fish into lakes and introduced “elephant mosquitoes” to prey on virus-carrying insects. Pharmacies track purchases of fever or pain medications, raising privacy concerns on X, where one user posted, “Foshan’s turning into a surveillance state over mosquitoes.” The outbreak, the largest in China since 2008, follows an imported case on July 8, exacerbated by heavy rains and high temperatures. Cesar Lopez-Camacho of Oxford University noted, “This suggests that most of the population had no pre-existing immunity, making it easier for the virus to spread quickly.”
The U.S. issued a Level 2 travel advisory on August 1, urging vaccination with IXCHIQ or VIMKUNYA and mosquito bite prevention for travelers to Guangdong, Bolivia, and Indian Ocean nations. Hong Kong reported its first case, a 12-year-old who visited Foshan. With 240,000 global cases and 90 deaths in 2025, per the WHO, China’s measures reflect its post-SARS playbook, though new cases are slowly declining.