Free nucleic acid screening for Chikungunya fever has been launched in the entire Lecong township in Foshan's Shunde district, Guangdong province, from Tuesday to Thursday, while the mosquito-borne viral disease remains at a high level in the city.

In a notice to its residents, the township government said the move aims to detect potential carriers of Chikungunya virus as early as possible to help achieve early detection, diagnosis and treatment and timely cut off the transmission chain of the epidemic in Lecong, a major production base in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

To prevent and control the spread of Chikungunya fever in Foshan, the city government initiated Level III response to sudden public health emergencies on Tuesday, requiring related departments and residents to introduce effective measures to cope with the spread of the disease.

And a special weeklong citywide mosquito eradication campaign has also been launched in Foshan, located about 20 kilometers away from Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, since Thursday.

Meanwhile, relevant departments have urged local households to burn mosquito coils and hang mosquito nets at night, install screen windows and clear accumulated water and garbage, while applying mosquito repellent when going out.

Chikungunya fever is an acute infectious disease caused by the Chikungunya virus, with clinical symptoms including fever, rashes and joint pains. The virus is transmitted to humans through bites from infected mosquitoes.

Aedes mosquitoes are widely distributed in China, and multiple locally transmitted outbreaks caused by imported cases have been reported in recent years.