China has declared war on the chikungunya virus. How much of a threat is it?

A worker uses a sprayer to eliminate mosquitos astatine a parkland successful bid to forestall nan dispersed of mosquito-borne illness Chikungunya successful Guangdong Province of China. Visual China Group/via Getty Images hide caption

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Visual China Group/via Getty Images

Health officials successful Guangdong state successful confederate China are waging an all-out warfare against mosquitoes successful consequence to an outbreak of nan chikungunya microorganism that's sickened thousands pinch fever, rashes and associated symptom complete nan past month.

Soldiers are fogging streets and parks successful nan metropolis of Foshan pinch insecticide. Community workers are going door-to-door to look for stagnant water, wherever mosquitoes tin breed. People who trial affirmative are reportedly being forced to hospitalize to isolate themselves, says Yanzhong Huang, elder chap for world wellness astatine nan Council connected Foreign Relations.

A drone sprays insecticide connected August 1 successful Guangzhou, Guangdong Province of China — portion of nan effort to curb an outbreak of Chikungunya fever, a mosquito-borne viral disease. Joint symptom is simply a notable symptom. Chen Chuhong/China News Service via Getty Images hide caption

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Chen Chuhong/China News Service via Getty Images

"It's reminiscent of nan COVID-19 tactics," he says, wherever citizens were highly restricted successful their activities to slow nan dispersed of SARS-CoV-2.

Some of nan existent measures are apt overkill, says Huang. Chikungunya is seldom fatal, and nan mosquito-borne microorganism can't dispersed done nan air. But mosquitoes easy prime it up from infected people. And because chikungunya outbreaks are uncommon successful China, he says "some of nan measures are justified fixed nan organization has nary immunity." Typically, nan microorganism is recovered successful Africa, southeast Asia and South America.

So far, much than 8,000 group person been infected successful Guangdong, making it nan largest chikungunya outbreak successful China's history.

Here's what you should cognize astir chikungunya (whose sanction is pronounced "chick'n-GOON-ya").

What is chikungunya and really does it spread?

Chikungunya illness is caused by nan chikungunya virus. It's dispersed done infected Aedes aegypti aliases Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. People tin get sick wrong 3 to 7 days of a wound from a mosquito carrying nan virus.

The microorganism tin origin fever, rash and fatigue, but nan astir notable denotation is associated pain. "It tin beryllium debilitating, wherever group cannot get retired of bed, they are laid out," says Laurie Silva, a virologist astatine nan University of Pittsburgh. The microorganism is named for a connection from nan Kimakonde connection of Tanzania — wherever nan microorganism was first discovered successful 1952 — that intends "that which bends up," because of nan distorted posture of those suffering from nan pain.

Symptoms thin to resoluteness wrong a week aliases so, but immoderate patients tin spell connected to person chronic illness, says Silva. "They tin person prolonged associated symptom that tin past for weeks aliases months, and successful immoderate cases years," she says. "That's 1 of nan main concerns for this virus."

Are location treatments aliases vaccines?

There are nary circumstantial antivirals for chikangunva. "It's really conscionable rest, hydration and symptom medicine," says Silva.

There are 2 licensed vaccines, but they're not wide disposable aliases used, according to nan World Health Organization. In nan U.S., they're only recommended for travelers aliases laboratory workers apt to beryllium exposed to nan virus. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a announcement for travelers to Guangdong, urging them to workout precautions including mosquito repellent and vaccination.

The vaccines aren't presently disposable successful China.

How communal are chikungunya outbreaks?

The illness was first detected successful 1952 successful Tanzania, and began popping up successful different African and Asian countries complete nan consequent decades.

More world outbreaks person occurred since 2004, and nan microorganism has been reported successful much than 110 countries. Cases and outbreaks are astir communal successful tropical and subtropical regions wherever mosquitoes thrive twelvemonth round. Climate alteration and accrued world recreation are contributing to chikungunya's increasing footprint, says Silva.

For example, nan United States gets a fistful of cases astir years, mostly successful returning travelers. There hasn't been a locally acquired lawsuit of chikungunya successful nan U.S. since 2019.

So acold this year, location person been astir 240,000 cases of chikungunya and 90 deaths from nan virus, mostly successful South America. Compared to different outbreaks, China's is truthful acold small. La Réunion, an land successful nan Indian Ocean, has reported astir 50,000 cases truthful acold this year.

But chikungunya tin dispersed quickly successful dense, municipality areas wherever mosquitoes tin thrive. That's why China is taking specified utmost measures to tamp down nan mosquito organization successful Foshan.

Over nan past fewer days, confirmed cases look to beryllium declining, says Huang. "That seems to bespeak that nan illness is plateauing successful Foshan," he says. But pinch basking and humid upwind conditions successful nan region and travel, he adds, "we cannot norm retired nan anticipation that nan illness will dispersed beyond Guangdong."