The Guangzhou authorities in China have escalated their measures in response to the Chikungunya fever outbreak, moving from comprehensive extermination efforts to mandatory blood tests. Local residents have expressed concerns and questions as mostly young people are being called in for blood tests.
The Chikungunya fever outbreak first erupted in Foshan, Guangdong in July this year, leading to large-scale ongoing extermination efforts by the authorities, resulting in financial losses for the residents. Despite official claims of having the situation under control, data shows that the outbreak is still ongoing.
On November 2, the Guangdong Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced that from October 26 to November 1, there were 259 new locally transmitted cases in the province, with 51 cases in Foshan, 48 in Shenzhen, 44 in Jiangmen, and 37 in Guangzhou. External observers believe that due to the authorities’ suppression of information, the actual numbers could be higher.
A Guangzhou resident, Wang Ying (pseudonym), told Epoch Times that the authorities’ actions under the guise of patriotic health campaigns are merely symbolic.
Another resident, Yu Ming, mentioned that the area near her community has long-standing neglected and dirty areas with a high presence of rats and mosquitoes, but no one manages them. She criticized the government for taking superficial actions without addressing the root causes.
Residents have experienced multiple typhoons recently, which have destroyed vegetation, leading to an increase in mosquitoes. However, the extermination teams are only engaging in a show, neglecting to clean up areas with a high mosquito population. Wang Ying expressed skepticism, questioning whether the focus is on controlling mosquitoes or people.
The excessive use of pesticides without considering residents’ health has made it unbearable for the public. Wang Ying described how the extermination personnel, equipped with electric sprayers, create dense clouds of pesticides that make breathing difficult.
More recently, the local government has requested residents to undergo blood tests, with community workers revealing that they are tasked with recruiting blood donors due to orders from higher authorities. This has raised suspicion among the public about the true intentions of the blood tests in relation to disease prevention.
Another resident, Chen Yi, believes that blood tests are not directly related to the epidemic. He learned from local police that each district has a blood donation mission, and they are currently looking for donors as the task was not completed in October.
Chen Yi suspects a connection between the blood tests and organ trafficking or missing persons, considering it a dangerous situation where individuals could disappear without a trace.
Yu Ming observed that young people are predominantly being called in for blood tests, including food delivery workers and migrant workers, leading to suspicions of organ involvements.
“I see many streets where people are being called for blood tests, but I will not go because what if they harvest our organs? I don’t trust this. There are too many questions; the authorities are sending people to bully the ordinary citizens.”