Authorities in south China’s Foshan city have launched a campaign to curb an outbreak of the mosquito-borne chikungunya fever, a disease that is not common in Guangdong province and has put neighbouring Hong Kong on high alert.
Local authorities in the city’s Shunde and Nanhai districts issued notices on Saturday urging all residents and communities to conduct indoor sanitation and outdoor clean-up over the weekend for mosquito control measures.
The outbreak originated from an imported case detected in Shunde on July 8, according to the local health bureau.
The number of confirmed cases in Shunde had reached 1,161 as of Friday. Most of the cases were recorded in the towns of Lecong, Beijiao and Chencun, and all the patients had mild symptoms.
Nanhai district has reported 16 confirmed cases, and another district, Chancheng, had reported 22 cases as of Friday.
Macau on Friday reported one imported case. The patient is a local resident who had visited Foshan.