Gov’t claims local prevention work was well done, no reason for alarm

The local Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) coordinator, Dr. Leong Iek Hou, has said there is no reason for excessive concern over the outbreak of chikungunya fever in Guangdong province.

In a press conference organized by the Health Bureau (SSM) to address the cases of dengue and chikungunya fever, Leong explained that local authorities have been doing prevention work for several months, which is why Macau should not fear this outbreak.

According to the same official, random cases of dengue and chikungunya are common in Macau and usually do not have serious consequences.

She also explained that, contrary to some beliefs, chikungunya cases are less concerning and usually have fewer health consequences than dengue.

“Chikungunya fever cases rarely lead to serious infections, and so far, all reported infections in Guangdong province are mild,” she said, adding that the disease, transmitted by the same mosquitoes responsible for dengue, has a quicker progression than dengue, with symptoms appearing just two or three days after a mosquito bite.

She also clarified that there is no person-to-person contagion risk for either disease.

Sharing statistics from the SSM, the official noted that in recent years, Macau has not recorded any cases of chikungunya, with the last ones dating back to 2013 and 2019, when “two to three cases of the disease were recorded. All imported. And without records of severe illness or death.”

She remarked that this year’s first case was recorded last Friday in a patient with a recent travel history to the area of Foshan, the city currently affected by a chikungunya epidemic that is counting over 2,000 cases.

Leong remarked that although the number seems high, no severe cases have been recorded in this city.

This first case involved a 61-year-old resident who tested positive for the disease after returning to Macau from the Shunde district in Foshan, where he was visiting family for over a week.

The second case is a 33-year-old female tourist from the Nanhai District in Foshan. The patient entered Macau around noon on July 21 and developed symptoms, including fever and rash, later that afternoon.

According to the World Health Organization, chikungunya fever has been reported in 110 countries and regions worldwide. Over one-third of the world’s population lives in areas with risk factors for chikungunya infection.

The primary transmission mode is through the bite of infected Aedes mosquitoes, particularly Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, the same mosquitoes responsible for transmitting other diseases such as dengue and Zika.

The disease causes symptoms like fever, skin rash, joint pain, and fatigue.

Summer holidays can bring more cases

Noting that this disease, as well as dengue, can be prevented using the same methods – controlling mosquito proliferation – Leong remarked that summer holidays can increase the number of cases.

“With summer holidays, we know that Macau will receive more visitors and that residents will travel more to the mainland or neighboring countries, so there is a higher risk of more cases of the disease appearing,” Leong said, noting that prevention is essential and relatively simple.

“With the help and efforts of several community groups, we have been doing prevention work, and until June, we had conducted some 4,700 inspections in different areas. We also did several cleaning operations in April, followed by 1,220 chemical elimination actions for mosquitoes and larvae in June. This helps reduce the density of mosquitoes,” she explained, noting that all residents can contribute by cleaning and emptying any receptacles with standing water.

“Particularly now, after a typhoon, it is very easy to find standing water in many places, so we are concerned that this will raise the risk of mosquito proliferation. We call on everyone to help prevent it by cleaning all standing water and emptying any receptacles at least once a week.”

Dengue fever represents a more serious threat

The CDC coordinator also noted that, in comparison, dengue represents a more serious risk to the public’s health, remarking that the number of cases is also much higher for dengue every year.

“Dengue is relatively more serious, and we also have recorded more cases. Last year, we had 39 cases, of which nine were local infections. This year, so far, we have recorded eight imported and one local case,” Leong concluded.