Chikungunya outbreak in China

More than 8,000 person been infected, prompting nan authorities to institute COVID-like restrictions

EMILY KWONG, HOST:

An outbreak of chikungunya illness successful confederate China has sickened complete 8,000 group successful conscionable a fewer weeks. As NPR's Jonathan Lambert reports, wellness officials location are combating nan mosquitoes that dispersed nan illness and implementing immoderate COVID-19-era tactics.

JONATHAN LAMBERT, BYLINE: In nan metropolis of Foshan, mosquitoes are nationalist force No. 1. Soldiers are fogging nan streets pinch insecticide. Officials are going doorway to doorway looking for stagnant h2o wherever nan bugs tin breed, and infected individuals are being forced to isolate themselves. To Yanzhong Huang, elder chap for world wellness astatine nan Council connected Foreign Relations, nan moves are...

YANZHONG HUANG: Reminiscent of nan COVID-19 tactics.

LAMBERT: Chikungunya is obscurity adjacent arsenic deadly arsenic COVID-19. It's besides not arsenic contagious, since it tin only dispersed done mosquito bites and not straight from personification to person. But chikungunya is uncommon successful China, and this outbreak, which began successful July, is nan biggest successful nan country's history and has imaginable to spread.

HUANG: We person a organization pinch nary immunity, and nan situation is perfect for mosquito breeding.

LAMBERT: If you get bitten by an infected mosquito, nan microorganism usually starts to origin symptoms wrong a fewer days. Fever, bumpy rashes and fatigue are common, but nan astir notable denotation is associated pain. Laurie Silva is simply a virologist astatine nan University of Pittsburgh.

LAURIE SILVA: When you person that associated pain, it's been called debilitating.

LAMBERT: She says group often can't get retired of furniture because it hurts excessively much. That symptom is really nan root of chikungunya's name. It intends to crook upwards aliases to contort successful Kimakonde, a connection spoken successful Tanzania wherever nan microorganism was first discovered. For galore people, nan symptom that causes specified contortions goes distant aft a week aliases two.

SILVA: But there's a ample proportionality of group - and that ranges from study, but mean is astir 50% - group past spell connected to person chronic illness, and that is erstwhile they person prolonged associated symptom that tin past for weeks aliases months and, successful immoderate cases, moreover years.

LAMBERT: There's nary antiviral curen for chikungunya and doctors usually prescribe rest, hydration and symptom medication. There are 2 vaccines for nan disease, but they're not wide available. For that reason, mosquito power is really nan champion prevention, hence, China's draconian power measures. Still, Huang says that immoderate of those measures are apt overkill.

HUANG: The attack is disproportionate to a vector-borne illness pinch very debased mortality. I deliberation a much targeted and a little coercive attack would beryllium arsenic effective.

LAMBERT: So acold this year, much than 240,000 cases of chikungunya person been reported worldwide, mostly successful South America, Africa and parts of Southeast Asia. China's outbreak is still comparatively small, but arsenic ambiance alteration makes much places mosquito friendly, scientists deliberation specified outbreaks could go much common. Jonathan Lambert, NPR News.

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