A passenger from Russia was determined to have both the Zika and chikungunya viruses at the Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport on Jan 7 after he underwent nucleic acid testing for the two viruses.

This is the first time that China has spotted a concurrent infection of the two viruses.

The Russian arrived at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport from the Philippines on Jan 5 and was found to have a fever and cough. He departed from Guangzhou on Jan 6.

Passengers go through customs clearance procedures at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport. [Photo/Chinanews.com]

The Zika virus is particularly prevalent in Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, Southeast Asia and Pacific island countries, while Chikungunya is mainly found in Africa, Asia, Europe and America. The two viruses are mainly transmitted through mosquito bites.

With the approaching Chinese New Year and Spring Festival, Guangzhou Customs has been more careful in health quarantine inspections, especially for people who have recently been to countries with viral epidemics. It has also committed to providing free laboratory testing services for the two aforementioned viruses.