China fights an epidemic of the chikungunya virus. What is this?

Chinese health officials react to an epidemic of a virus transmitted by mosquitoes that can cause intense pain.

More than 7,000 cases of chikungunya have been reported in the Chinese province of Guangdong in recent weeks, most of them in the southern city of Foshan.

Reports in the region claim that those infected are quarantined in hospital until they test negative for the virus, and workers go to Foshan houses to check the risk factors like standing water where mosquitoes can reproduce.

Workers also spray parks and streets with insecticides, and the authorities have released “elephant mosquitoes” and mosquito eating fish to tackle virus insects.

On Tuesday, the Canadian government added a level 2 travel notice encouraging travelers to practice improved health precautions if you visit China.

What is chikungunya?

Chikungunya is transmitted by infected female mosquitoes, most often the subspecies AEDES AEGYPTI And Aedes Albopictus – The same types that can transmit Zika and dengue viruses, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

When a mosquito feeds on an infected person, it ingests the virus and can transmit it to other humans.

The start is usually four to eight days after the bite.

Epidemics and sporadic cases have been reported in various parts of the world, mainly concentrated in South America, Asia and Africa in recent decades. Smaller epidemics have also been reported in Europe.

The Pan -American Health Organization has followed more than 209,000 cases of chikungunya in the Americas this year, with the biggest figures recorded in Brazil, and none in Canada.

What are the symptoms?

Chikungunya can cause fever and potentially debilitating joint pain. It can also cause muscle pain, headache, nausea and rashes, according to WHO.

Symptoms generally last several days and most people are fully recovered, but occasional cases of eye complications, cardiacs and neurologicals have been reported, as well as joint pain from weeks to years.

“The main problem is that it causes fairly large joint pain,” said the specialist in infectious diseases, Dr. Isaac Bogoch.

“Any articulation in the body can be affected, but it tends to have an impact on the smallest joints of the hands and feet.”

Newborns, the elderly and people with underlying health problems run the risk of serious symptoms and, in rare cases.

According to the WHO, the name “Chikungunya” derives from a word in the Kimakonde language of southern Tanzania, where the disease was identified for the first time in 1952. The word means “what is leaning”, which describes the “distorted posture of infected people suffering from severe joint pain”.

Should Canadians be worried?

Not according to Bogoch. He says he is not unusual for Canadian doctors to see travelers return with a variety of infections acquired abroad, including chikungunya.

Canadian scientists monitor the presence of Aedes Albopictus Mosquitoes, which are not widespread in Canada but are established in the Windsor-Essex region of Ontario, according to the federal government.

“I don’t think there is something to panic. It is a well-known infection with well-known epidemics,” he told CBC News. “You don’t want to get this one, but we will not have an epidemic in Canada, at least in the calendar year 2025.”

A vaccine called IXCHIQ is under license for use in Canada, but is not recommended for anyone over 65 years of age.

Bogoch says that the best strategy for travelers is to keep mosquitoes as much as possible by wearing long sleeves and pants and using an insectifuge.

He also recommends looking for free advice from travel clinics.

“There are parts of the world that have a malapse that can be fatal, or other risks linked to various travel, and a travel specialist can help sail so that people can make a healthy, safe and happy trip,” he said.