The dengue fever epidemic in Jiangmen, Guangdong Province is still ongoing, and various local governments have launched large-scale mosquito eradication campaigns during the “National Day” holiday, including canceling holidays for government departments, institutions, and hospitals, and sending personnel to communities to spray insecticide to eliminate mosquitoes. The excessive epidemic prevention measures by the authorities have sparked public resentment.
According to the Guangdong Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, from 0:00 on September 28 to 24:00 on October 4, there were 3,181 new reported cases of dengue fever in the province, with 2,480 cases in Jiangmen, 157 cases in Foshan, 138 cases in Guangzhou, 101 cases in Zhaoqing, 81 cases in Shenzhen, 51 cases in Shantou, and so on.
During the “National Day” holiday, many units in Guangdong received notices from the Dengue Fever Epidemic Prevention and Control Command Office to stop holidays, requiring all government departments, institutions, village teams, and villages (communities) to arrange no less than 50% of their staff daily for environmental sanitation and mosquito control activities.
Fang Jin (pseudonym for security reasons), a doctor at a hospital in Sihui City, Zhaoqing, told a reporter from Epoch Times on October 5 that he didn’t have a single day off during the holiday. He was assigned to spray insecticide to eliminate mosquitoes in areas such as Matian Community and Sihui Market, from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., carrying a twenty-kilogram water bucket and wearing a protective mask, spraying chemicals on the streets.
He expressed uncertainty about the effectiveness of mosquito eradication but emphasized the exhaustion he experienced daily without proper compensation or decent meals. He mentioned the lack of staff arrangements in some departments and criticized the favoritism shown in granting leaves to certain individuals while imposing strict penalties on dissent.
Another employee of a government unit in Jiangmen City mentioned to the reporter that the staff were mobilized for mosquito eradication without extra pay. He highlighted the physical strain of working four hours a day wearing a gas mask to spray insecticide, emphasizing the exhaustion caused by the continuous operation.
Guangdong authorities’ “at all costs” mosquito eradication policy has led to the uprooting of numerous green plants in many areas. A resident named Xiaoyan (pseudonym) from Dacao Town, Xinhui District, Jiangmen, lamented the destruction of his medicinal herbs on the rooftop during mosquito control activities. He mentioned the loss of rare medicinal plants like honeysuckle and dandelion, emphasizing the emotional distress caused by their destruction.
He further disclosed that it took only an hour for the workers to clear his rooftop garden, resulting in the devastation of his valuable herbal plants intended for harvesting in November for medicinal purposes. He criticized the relentless spraying activities that not only affected the mosquitoes but also created health hazards for residents, with some online users comparing the mosquito eradication teams to “biohazard response units.”
The discontent among netizens regarding Guangdong’s mosquito eradication and epidemic prevention campaigns reflects public dissatisfaction with the authorities’ heavy-handed approach, highlighting the impact on residents, environment, and local livelihoods.