In Zhanjiang, Guangdong province, a mother filmed authorities taking blood samples from her children without her consent, amid rising alarm over personal rights violations. The incident followed an outbreak of Chikungunya virus, which has caused about 8,000 reported cases in Guangdong, with local health authorities on high alert. The first major occurrence of this mosquito-borne disease has raised fears, as symptoms can be severe, especially for vulnerable populations. Reactions on social media reflect widespread concern regarding governmental actions during public health emergencies.
Health authorities in Guangdong are on high alert because of an outbreak of Chikungunya that started about a month ago in Foshan, a city 260km from Zhanjiang. There have been about 8,000 reported cases so far, and at least one imported case in Hong Kong, a city that borders Guangdong.
Chikungunya is a mosquito-borne disease that can only be spread by being bitten by an insect with the virus. Symptoms include fever, muscle and joint pain, nausea and a rash. In rare cases, symptoms can last for months or even years.
A single mother living in Zhanjiang, a port city in Guangdong province, posted a video on social media this week showing a group of people, including a uniformed police officer, entering her children's bedroom in the middle of the night and taking blood samples from the boy and the girl, without their mother's presence or consent.
A hashtag related to the incident has been viewed nearly 90m times on Weibo, with many users expressing alarm about the behaviour of the authorities.
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