Jiangmen terminates Level III Chikungunya emergency response

Jiangmen city in Guangdong province on Saturday terminated the level Ⅲ response to public health emergencies, shifting the prevention and control of the Chikungunya fever epidemic to regular management.

The move comes after the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area reported only 17 new cases of Chikungunya fever last Friday, indicating below 50 case numbers for Jiangmen over five consecutive days.

In addition, the city's compliance rate of mosquito vector density has been above 99 percent for 15 consecutive days.

"After weeks of great efforts made to curb the spread of Chikungunya fever, Jiangmen which was once hardest hit by Chikungunya fever has successfully achieved the phased goal of low-level sporadic cases of the epidemic," Xiao Zhenyu, a member of the standing committee of Jiangmen Committee of the Communist Party of China, said at a news conference on Saturday.

Xiao urged residents to continue following personal protective measures and actively participate in environmental remediation, to jointly build a solid defense line for epidemic prevention and control in the weeks to come.

He also extended an invitation to tourists to visit and explore Jiangmen and enjoy the 15 National Games competitions and experience the unique charm of the "capital of overseas Chinese".

Jiangmen is set to host a number of exciting events, including synchronized swimming, volleyball and mountain biking, during the 15th National Games in November, as well as basketball, football, and swimming in the 12th National Games for Persons with Disabilities and the 9th National Special Olympic Games in December.

The Jiangmen city government activated the Level III emergency response in late September when the city reported hundreds of Chikungunya cases daily.

Chikungunya fever is an acute infectious disease caused by the Chikungunya virus, mainly with clinical symptoms including fever, rashes and joint pains, and can occur in people of all ages.

The virus is transmitted to humans through bites from infected Aedes mosquitoes, commonly known as spotted mosquitoes.