South China's Guangdong province strengthens the monitoring of inbound passengers at airports and major sea ports to prevent Zika virus from entering the country. [Photo: cctv.com]

South China's Guangdong has strengthened the monitoring of inbound passengers at airports and major sea ports to prevent Zika virus from entering the country.

All of the devices that measure the temperatures of passengers upon arrival have been activated at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, as both imported Zika cases entered the Chinese mainland through Guangdong.

Wu Huiming, an official with the airport, introduces the preventative measures.

"We have installed four body temperature measuring instruments here, and when a passenger comes through, four instruments will scan his face at the same time to measure his temperature. This can ensure anyone with fever can be identified."

According to Wu, once an abnormal body temperature is detected, the monitor will go red and an alert will be set off, and the passenger will be taken to a medical observation room for further check if he shows symptoms.

"Patients, after having their blood sample collected, will be sent to a hospital for infectious diseases for further quarantine and treatment. This is a joint control system linking ports, labs and medical institutions."

Guangdong is a major connection point between China and South America, where Zika appears to have originated.

The two patients diagnosed with Zika in China had all stayed in Venezuela.