As the winter season comes to an end, Chinese authorities will be posting some guidelines and plans for mass extermination against the Zika virus, fearing an increased risk of local transmission.  

According to a senior virologist, the agency is planning to conduct large-scale extermination of mosquitoes, especially in the southern part of the country to cut off transmission and restrict its spread.

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Also, the head of the National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention Li Dexin has revealed that health officials are getting ready to issue guidelines on Thursday about the mosquito-borne Zika virus. Li noted that Aedes aegypti, the virus' career, thrives in warm weather, thus increasing possibility of transmission to reach China. To prevent its potential spread, Chinese officials are planning to carry out a yearly mosquito mass-extermination drive, particularly during April or May.

Guo Yuhong, a researcher at the Infectious Disease Institute of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, revealed that Zika-carrying mosquitoes are a dominant breed across South China. He said that these mosquitoes can contaminate people they bite and can also pass the virus to the next generation of mosquitoes.

Given these facts, the top priority as of now is to stop the Zika virus. Screening kits have been distributed across provincial-level health care centers and some entrance stations to enhance virus detection. The kit can show results between 2 and 3 hours.

Meanwhile, medical respondents have been ordered to be keen in assessing symptoms of the virus and to inquire about the travel history of suspected patients. However, Li noted that symptoms of Zika virus can be mild and people can recover quickly. So their main concern is on quarantining people from the mosquitoes.

Another concern experts have to deal with is the possible link of Zika virus and microcephaly (small heads and brains), as China has previously reported such cases. However, there were other factors to consider including other viruses and radiation exposure.

Li is encouraging pregnant women to refrain from travelling to affected nations. Furthermore, to enhance its knowledge on the virus, Li claims that China is working with US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to extract virus samples for clinical testing. 

TagsZika virus, mass extermination, mosquito-borne illness