In the face of a burgeoning outbreak of Chikungunya, a mosquito-borne viral disease, in the southern Guangdong province, the Chinese Foreign Ministry has asserted that the situation is "under control.
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The Communist Party of China has also assured that it is keeping the World Health Organization (W.H.O.) duly informed about the developments.
As reported by Breitbart, the state-controlled Chinese newspaper quoted regime-approved experts who dismissed the idea of issuing a warning to foreign travelers as "unacceptable." This was in response to a Bloomberg News report where a spokesperson for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) revealed that the agency was contemplating issuing a travel advisory for China due to the outbreak.
Chikungunya, a viral infection transmitted through mosquito bites, is known to cause symptoms such as fever, severe joint pain, joint swelling, muscle pain, headache, nausea, fatigue, and rash. The W.H.O. states that while the disease is rarely fatal, it can cause severe infections in elderly individuals, infants, or those with pre-existing health conditions.
The symptoms can be extremely painful and debilitating. "Most patients recover fully from the infection; however, occasional cases of eye, heart, and neurological complications have been reported with CHIKV infections," the W.H.O. notes.
The Chinese National Health Commission reported nearly 3,000 new cases of the disease in Guangdong province from July 20 to 26. This has led local officials to implement various measures to exterminate mosquitos. While the Chinese government has described the cases as mild, it has sparked some international concern.
A spokesperson for the CDC confirmed to Bloomberg News that the agency is aware of the Chikungunya outbreak in Guangdong Province and is assessing the size and extent of the outbreak. The spokesperson also confirmed that the CDC is likely to issue a travel warning for Americans traveling to China.
When questioned about the report, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun maintained that the situation was under control and that Beijing was acting responsibly. "The [Chinese health] commission said the disease is treatable, preventable, and under control," Guo stated. "We've learned that China has maintained communication with the W.H.O. on that. The Chinese government takes seriously the health of its own people and foreign nationals in China."
The Chinese media reinforced this assurance, citing "experts" who dismissed the idea of travel advisories. "Chinese experts said such a notice appears to be unnecessary, as travel to China is not becoming risky due to the disease and with effective prevention and control measures in the country, the infections are controllable," the media reported.
Zhuang Shilihe, a medical expert, even predicted that the likelihood of a foreigner contracting Chikungunya in China was "virtually unlikely." Several other experts emphasized the local government's "mosquito control measures" as further proof that any concern was unwarranted.
The Chinese NHC outlined a plan to respond to the increasing number of cases, which includes ramping up "sanitation and disinfection" protocols and improving "quality control of relevant testing and management" in hospitals. "It also stressed sound public health education and information release to boost people's confidence in the fight," according to China's state-run Xinhua News Agency.
However, China's handling of the Wuhan novel coronavirus outbreak in late 2019 has led to a significant loss of trust from the international community. The Chinese Communist Party's actions, including detaining and silencing doctors, failing to properly inform the W.H.O. about the spread of the infectious disease, allowing millions to leave the city and spread the disease worldwide, and hosting superspreader events, have exacerbated the situation.
Despite the evidence, the Chinese government has not admitted that the coronavirus pandemic originated in China. Instead, it has propagated a conspiracy theory that the virus originated in a U.S. Army facility in Maryland.
Beijing has also not assisted in coordinating any new investigations into the origin of the virus after the controversial 2021 W.H.O. probe, which was dismissed as insufficient by W.H.O. Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
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