It’s the SARS psychosis in reverse. Eight months after China was quarantined by the international community following the outbreak of the killer disease, Beijing has ordered mandatory screening of all passengers disembarking from India to check for dengue, and isolation of those who show symptoms. The order, effective Wednesday, also imposes a ban on any unchecked cargo landing in the country. According to the Chinese government’s official website, any person entering China with symptoms of high fever, bodyache and rashes would have to be quarantined and the cargo checked for mosquito breeding. The government has asked India to take anti-mosquito measures before loading cargo for the country. Though the disease — which has officially claimed 33 lives in Delhi and adjoining areas to date — is not contagious, an infected person can become a potential carrier: if an aedes aegypti mosquito bites an infected person it can become the source of transmission. Dengue is a cyclic disease and outbreaks have been reported in the — including one in 1996 when more than 10,000 cases were reported in Delhi — but this is the first time China has imposed such travel restrictions. Ironically, the move follows the Delhi administration’s announcement that the disease is subsiding in the state. However, experts suggest that the Chinese may be over-reacting. The dengue mosquitos, they say, can’t survive in temperatures below 16 degrees Centigrade — and most Chinese cities, including Beijing, have been recording temperatures well below that. ‘‘The mosquito bites mainly late-night and early mornings, when temperatures are low’’, said one expert on condition of anonymity.
