- (Reuters) -- Doctors in mainland France
have detected a mosquitoborne disease among people returning from the Indian
Ocean region, where the virus is spreading rapidly, a senior health official
said on Saturday.
-
- France's health minister has blamed "Chikungunya"
fever, for which there is no known cure or vaccine, for directly or indirectly
killing 77 people on the French island of [the] Reunion off the south east
coast of Africa. French health officials say 157 000 people have now been
infected by the disease on Reunion, about one in 5 of the population.
-
- "We have people returning from Reunion
who have symptoms of chikungunya and their diagnoses have been confirmed,"
Francois Bricaire, head of the infectious diseases service at Pitie-Salpetriere
hospital in Paris, told Europe 1 radio. "It's not surprising, quite
simply because of the contacts between the island of Reunion and mainland
France." He said about 30 cases had been found by his service and
it was likely that other medical services had detected cases. The disease
can only spread via mosquitoes and Bricaire did not say whether the people
with symptoms were confined or allowed home.
-
- Health minister Xavier Bertrand told
Europe 1 that the mosquito which carries the virus could be present in
south eastern France but gave no details. The illness, which has also been
found in the nearby Indian Ocean islands of the Seychelles and Mauritius
[and Mayotte. - Mod.RY], is marked by high fever and severe rashes. Most
people recover but it is extremely painful.
-
- The number of people infected in Mauritius
has risen to 962 from 341 the previous week, the Mauritius government said.
-
- French prime minister Dominique de Villepin
is due to travel to Reunion on Sunday. He faces growing criticism over
the failure to prevent the disease spreading and said this week that the
entire island should be cleared of mosquitoes.
-
- The spread of chikungunya is likely to
increase health concerns in France following confirmation of the presence
of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu at a farm in the east of the country
where thousands of turkeys died.
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- First recognised in East Africa in 1952,
chikungunya leaves the immune system weak, [providing] opportunities for
other diseases to set in. The name comes from the Swahili for stooped walk,
referring to the posture of those afflicted.
-
- Reunion is a popular tourist destination
for European travellers. The Reunion Committee on Tourism has reported
tour cancellations but has not provided figures for costs incurred.
-
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- Patricia A. Doyle, DVM, PhD- Bus Admin,
Tropical Agricultural Economics Please visit my "Emerging Diseases"
message board at: http://www.clickitnews.com/ubbthreads/postlist.php?Cat=&Board=emergingdiseases
Also my new website: http://drpdoyle.tripod.com/ Zhan le Devlesa tai sastimasa
Go with God and in Good Health
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