BEIJING (Sputnik) – The Chinese authorities are planning to conduct a mass extermination of mosquitoes to prevent the spreading of the Zika virus, local media reported.
The extermination is likely to take place in April or May, the China Daily newspaper reported, citing Li Dexin, who is head of the National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention.
"So the current control priority is to prevent imported Zika virus, either in humans or mosquitoes from the affected areas," Li said.
The Zika virus primarily affects monkeys and humans and is transmitted by daytime-active mosquitoes. A causal relationship between the Zika virus and neurological disorders including microcephaly, which causes babies to be born with small heads, is strongly suspected, although not yet confirmed.
The Zika outbreak started in Brazil in spring 2015. It has since spread across Latin America, allegedly causing several deaths.
