The outbreak of chikungunya has focused largely on Foshan, a city of 10 million in China’s southern Guangdong province, near Hong Kong.
Chinese health officials have adopted a series of measures to contain the spread, threatening fines for people who fail to disperse standing water and even deploying drones to hunt down insect breeding grounds.
It is transmitted by the bite of an infected female Aedes mosquito, causing people to develop symptoms within three to seven days. It cannot spread between people.
Chikungunya is spread by bites from infected mosquitoes (Photo: James Gathany/CDC via AP)
The young, elderly and people with underlying medical conditions, such as heart disease or diabetes, are most at risk of developing severe symptoms.
How widespread is the outbreak?
Cases of chikungunya have been rising in China since July, when an “imported case triggered local transmission”, according to health officials.
Hong Kong confirmed its first case on Monday – a 12-year-old boy who developed symptoms after visiting Foshan.
Residents wade through debris along a flood-hit street after waters from a river overwhelmed towns in Huaiji County, Guangdong (Photo: Deng Hua/Xinhua via AP)
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the current spread of chikungunya began in early 2025, with major outbreaks in Indian Ocean islands.
The virus spread to other countries, including Somalia, Kenya and India, as well as Europe, with 800 imported cases reported in France.
Chinese health officials have pledged to take “decisive and forceful measures” to contain the spread of the disease.
Sources of standing water, which attracts mosquitoes, have been targeted. People who fail to empty bottles, flower pots or other outdoor receptacles can receive fines of up to 10,000 yuan (£1,000) and have their electricity cut off.
A drone sprays insecticide in Guangzhou (Photo: Chen Chuhong/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images)In Foshan, anyone infected with chikungunya is required to stay in hospital, where their beds are protected with mosquito nets.
The US has advised citizens not to visit Guangdong, along with countries including Bolivia and Indian Ocean island nations.
What is the risk to the UK?
If a person contracts chikungunya abroad and becomes ill on their return to the UK, they cannot pass the infection onto anyone else.
British citizens travelling to infected areas risk being bitten by an infected mosquito.
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