Chikungunya fever cases continue to drop in South China, no after-effects reported: experts

GUANGZHOU -- The number of local cases of Chikungunya fever has dropped from a daily peak of over 600 to less than 100 in Foshan, South China's Guangdong province, indicating further progress delivered by effective prevention and control measures during the early stage, according to experts with a national disease control and prevention team dispatched to the city.

Statistics from Foshan's public health authority showed that 84 new confirmed cases of Chikungunya fever were reported on Aug 14 in the city, which has been hit the hardest by the mosquito-borne viral disease since its recent outbreak in China. Starting from Aug 9, the city's tally of newly confirmed cases has continued to decline at a steady pace.

At present, new cases in Foshan are sporadic, said Ren Dongsheng, a researcher with the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC), adding that in the next step, prevention and control measures will be taken in a more precise and targeted manner to further stem the transmission of the disease.

Chen Zhihai, director of the infectious disease center of Beijing Ditan Hospital affiliated with Capital Medical University, noted that while fever, rash and joint pain constitute major symptoms of this disease, there has been no report of after-effects among all Chikungunya fever patients in Foshan.

The experts noted that the environmental conditions in Guangdong are relatively suitable for the survival of mosquitoes, and adult mosquitoes can survive for one to two months or even longer.

Therefore, the extermination of adult mosquitoes is a key measure in the prevention and control of Chikungunya fever.