Photo: VCG

Officials in Foshan, South China's Guangdong Province, reported on Sunday that the city had confirmed 1,873 cases of chikungunya fever as of Saturday, all of them mild, with no severe cases or deaths, according to CCTV News.

According to a press conference held by the city, of the confirmed chikungunya cases reported across Foshan, 1,790 were in the Shunde district, 49 in the Chancheng district and 34 in the Nanhai district. All cases have been mild, with no severe cases or deaths, and 720 patients have recovered.

Chikungunya is a disease caused by the chikungunya virus, which is transmitted to humans by infected mosquitoes, with large outbreaks and sporadic cases reported mostly in the Americas, Asia and Africa, and occasional smaller outbreaks in Europe, according to the official website of the World Health Organization.
 
The Shunde district detected a local Chikungunya fever outbreak, traced to an imported case, during monitoring on July 8, CCTV said.

After the outbreak, local authorities immediately set up a joint prevention and control headquarters, and coordinated forces from multiple departments including health, disease control and education, to launch epidemic control and prevention work, thepaper.cn reported.

Although that all chikungunya cases detected in Guangdong so far have been mild, particular attention should still be given to newborns, the elderly above 65 and patients with underlying chronic conditions such as hypertension, diabetes or heart disease, as they are more prone to complications if infected, according to the press conference. 

Foshan has also authorized another 35 hospitals to conduct nucleic acid testing for the chikungunya virus. Residents experiencing symptoms such as fever, joint pain, or rashes are urged to promptly visit a certified medical institution. Designated observation areas have been set up in hospitals to provide convenient services for patients awaiting test results, thepaper.cn reported.

Global Times