Zika curbs to include mosquito mass extermination

National authority will issue guidelines on controlling virus

As the weather turns warmer and China faces a higher risk of local transmission of the Zika virus, the top virus-prevention authority plans a large-scale extermination of mosquitoes, particularly in South China, to cut off transmission of the virus and curb its spread here, a senior virologist said on Wednesday.

Li Dexin, head of the National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, made the remarks as the health authority prepared to issue guidelines on Thursday for the treatment and control of the mosquito-borne virus.