There is growing alarm in China that official efforts to contain an outbreak of Chikungunya virus, a mosquito-borne disease spreading in the south of the country, are infringing on people’s rights.
In Zhanjiang, a port city in Guangdong province, a single mother posted a video this week showing a group of people – including a uniformed police officer – entering her children’s bedroom in the middle of the night and taking blood samples from her son and daughter without her consent or presence.
The mother, who had been working a night shift, said she later learned the visit was linked to her son developing a fever. According to Chinese media, a local pharmacy had reported the family to health authorities.
A hashtag about the incident has been viewed nearly 90 million times on Weibo, with many users expressing alarm over the authorities’ behaviour.
Health officials in Guangdong are on high alert after an outbreak of Chikungunya began about a month ago in Foshan, around 260km from Zhanjiang. More than 8,000 cases have been reported so far, along with at least one imported case in Hong Kong.
Chikungunya spreads only through mosquito bites and causes fever, muscle and joint pain, nausea and rashes. Symptoms can occasionally last months or even years, but the illness is rarely fatal. Babies, the elderly and people with underlying health conditions are most at risk.
While the virus is common in parts of Asia, Africa and the Americas, this is the first major outbreak in China.
China’s strict Covid-era disease control apparatus – widely regarded as among the toughest in the world – has been swiftly reactivated. On 2 August, Guangdong governor Wang Weizhong vowed to “strive to win the battle against the Chikungunya fever epidemic” and ordered sweeping measures.
These include eradicating mosquito breeding grounds, urging residents to clear standing water from containers, promoting the use of mosquito coils and nets, and applying insect repellent.
But authorities have also revived surveillance and reporting systems reminiscent of the zero-Covid era. On 4 August, Foshan officials ordered all pharmacies to report sales of certain fever medicines – a measure that appears to have led to the identification of the Zhanjiang children.
A local official told Chinese media that attempts had been made to contact the mother. Following the public outcry, Zhanjiang health authorities said they were investigating the case.
