- An epidemic of mosquito-borne virus that
causes painful, arthritis-like symptoms, is spreading relentlessly across
the French Indian Ocean department of Reunion, French Health Minister Xavier
Bertrand said.
-
- The toll of new infections from the disease
known as chikungunya "is still running at 25 000 a week," Bertrand
said, describing the outbreak as "unchanged in its severity."
-
- The president of France's Institute for
Development Research (IRD), Jean-Francois Girard, said the outbreak was
unprecedented. "This is the biggest epidemic (of chikungunya) ever
recorded in the world," he said on Monday.
-
- Chikungunya -- a Swahili word meaning
"that which bends up" -- is caused by a virus spread by mosquitoes.
It is not known to be fatal, but can cause painful swelling of joints in
the body, leaving victims stooped and limiting their movements. Symptoms
eventually disappear over time.
-
- Bertrand made the remarks after a meeting
of officials from the health and research ministries to beef up action
against the epidemic. The meeting also brought in experts from the prestigious
Pasteur Institute and the National Institute for Health and Medical Research
(INSERM), as well as the IRD.
-
- The meeting decided to dispatch 4 scientists
to Reunion on Monday for a week-long mission to assess any risk of the
virus being transmitted from a mother-to-be to her foetus and to look at
ways of safely eradicating mosquitoes without harming Reunion's biodiversity.
-
- Other areas of work are in fundamental
research, notably the virus' life cycle, vaccine research and mosquito
reproduction. There is no vaccine against chikungunya, although a prototype
vaccine was tested by the University of Maryland among 73 volunteers in
2000. The researchers described the vaccine as safe and promising, but
it was never followed up.
-
- http://www.todayonline.com/articles/100801.asp
-
- _____
-
- ProMED-mail
-
- To date, the outbreak of chikungunya
in Reunion is still spreading
- at 25 000 cases per week, or 3571 daily.
This is indeed the largest
- chikungunya epidemic ever recorded. Is
there any promising vaccine in
- the works? ProMED is seeking for further
information regarding the
- 2000 study on a prototype vaccine by
the University of Maryland. - Mod.RY
-
- 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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