Chikungunya detected in mainland France

[emmysue]

Chikungunya detected in mainland France

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-02/26/content_4227830.htm

PARIS, Feb. 25 (Xinhuanet) -- Chikungunya, a mosquito-borne disease, which hit one-fifth population in French island Reunion in the Indian Ocean, has been detected in mainland France, a doctor told French private radio Europe 1 on Saturday. At least 30 cases were recorded, said Fran<!--ADV_CONTENT-->cois Bricaire, head of an infectious diseases unit of a Paris hospital.
"We have people coming back from Reunion island who have the symptoms of chikungunya and with diagnostics that have confirmed it," he said.
Chikungunya means "that which bends up" because of its painful,arthritic-type symptoms that leave victims stooped, he said.
The disease has caused directly or indirectly the death of 77 people and affected 15,700 others, or about 20 percent of the island's population.
French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin was to visit the island from Sunday to Monday. A 500-strong French force has been deployed there to help clear mosquitoes. Enditem

[emmysue]

Re: Chikungunya detected in mainland France

http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_1888380,00.html

Paris - French doctors have identified a mosquito-borne disease, carried into the country by citizens returning from the Indian Ocean region.
France's health minister has blamed the "Chikungunya" fever - for which there is no known cure or vaccine - for directly or indirectly killing 77 people on the French island of La Reunion off the southeast coast of Africa.
French health officials say 157 000 people, about one in five of the population of the island, are now infected with the disease.
Francois Bricaire, head of the infectious diseases service at Pitie-Salpetriere hospital in Paris, said: "We have people returning from La Reunion who have symptoms of chikungunya and their diagnoses has been confirmed.
"It's not surprising, quite simply because of the contacts between the island of La Reunion and mainland France."
He said his service had found about 30 cases, adding it was likely other medical services had detected more.
Bricaire said the disease can only spread via mosquitoes but did not say whether those showing symptoms were being confined or allowed home.
French health minister Xavier Bertrand said the mosquito which carries the virus could be present in south eastern France.
The illness, which has also been found in the nearby Indian Ocean islands of the Seychelles and Mauritius, is marked by high fever and severe rashes. Most people recover although it is extremely painful.

[myredchinablues]

Re: Chikungunya detected in mainland France

This is getting interesting. between mainland France and WHO in Reunion, perhaps in the next week we will get a better handle on what is going on with this. If it is H2H we are will quickly be looking at big problems all over. Thirty cases is probably a portion of what is there. Could be a bunch of infected people traveling worldwide by now.

[DB]

Re: Chikungunya detected in mainland France

I told you so!

[DB]

Re: Chikungunya detected in mainland France

http://www.todayonline.com/articles/103114print.asp

Chikungunya hit 160,000 on French island in last year

Weekend ? February 25, 2006

The number of people affected in the last year by the crippling chikungunya epidemic on the French Indian Ocean island of Reunion has gone up to 157,000, or around one in five of the population, health authorities on the island said.

Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin was to make a flying visit to the territory on Sunday amid criticism that the government has failed to take account of the growing health crisis there.

On Thursday Health Minister Xavier Bertrand caused consternation when he said the mosquito-borne epidemic had been responsible -- "directly or indirectly" -- for 77 deaths.

This was a "radically new situation, that was not anticipated or foreseen by any scientific theory, according to which chikungunya does not kill," Bertrand told Le Figaro newspaper.

Chikungunya -- a Swahili word meaning "that which bends up" -- can cause painful joint swelling, leaving victims stooped and limiting their movements. Symptoms normally disappear over time.

The virus has spread across the French Indian Ocean island of Mayotte, where there have been 1,350 recorded cases, compared to 56 at the end of January, according to Bertrand.

Cases have also been recorded in Madagascar, Mauritius and the Seychelles. Villepin's office said that he would use his visit to "announce the reinforcement of personal aid and an increase in repellent equipment, with pregnant women, the elderly and children the principal beneficiaries."

Speaking in Lyon in east-central France, where he observed a training exercise for combatting bird flu, Villepin denied ignoring the extent of the crisis on Reunion and said even experts had been taken by surprise.

"We are face-to-face with a devastating epidemic which suddenly accelerated at the start of the year. Developments went beyond all the predictions made by experts," he said.

Some 500 French troops are helping local health workers spray mosquito breeding areas.

The opposition socialists have accused the government of running down public health campaigns in Reunion and other outlying French territories.

The epidemic has devastated tourism to Reunion, which boasts dramatic mountain scenery, since it started to spread rapidly in December.

Bookings are down 60 percent, according to industry representatives, who say the crisis has cost 15 million euros (18 million dollars) in lost revenues. ? AFP

[DB]

Re: Chikungunya detected in mainland France

The virus has spread across the French Indian Ocean island of Mayotte, where there have been 1,350 recorded cases, compared to 56 at the end of January, according to Bertrand.

So there have been 1350 cases in 25 days.

So now this is in France.

They announced 30 cases today. I expect thousands in weeks.

It has begun in Europe.

[Sally Furniss]

Re: Chikungunya detected in mainland France

Suspected chikungunya death in Mauritius

Feb 23, 2006
PORT LOUIS (AFP) ? A crippling mosquito-borne disease ravaging Indian Ocean islands has been linked to the death of at least one person in Mauritius, where 846 cases of the infection have been reported.
Health Minister Satish Faugoo said the death of the patient on Wednesday was due to a virus suspected to cause chikingunya, but medical officials were carrying out tests to ascertain the actual cause of the death and are expected to report their findings by the weekend.

http://www.keepmedia.com/pubs/AFP/2006/02/23/1242822

[Sally Furniss]

Re: Chikungunya detected in mainland France

Seychelles say crippling Chikungunya virus on the decline

Thursday February 23, 07:02 Pm


<table class="fll"> <tbody><tr><td>
</td></tr><tr><td>
</td></tr></tbody> </table> VICTORIA (AFP) - Seychelles said the cases of the crippling mosquito-borne epidemic that has swept across the Indian Ocean islands are on the decline, officials said. At least 1,000 people have been affected in Seychelles, where officials reported last week that no one had died of the disease.
The health ministry said public awareness had helped cases of the Chikungunya virus to fall for the second week and that the downward trend is expected to continue until the virus is eradicated altogether.
"The total number of cases registered in Seychelles dating back to July 2005 when the very first case was reported sits at around 3,000, but most of the cases have already fully recovered," the ministry said.
It blamed long rains experienced in December last year for the spread of the virus, but the reduction of rains has paved the way for targeted spraying and other containment efforts, which has led to a continuing fall of new cases, it added.
Chikungunya is Swahili for "that which bends up" and refers to the stooped posture of those afflicted by the extremely painful disease for which there is no known vaccine or cure.
It is characterized by high fever and severe rashes, and while non-fatal in itself and most people eventually recover, it can provide opportunities for other diseases to set in.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/23022006/323/seychelles-say-crippling-chikungunya-virus-decline.html

[sandyd]

Re: Chikungunya detected in mainland France

I've not followed this tooooo closely, sorry. :o

Is this virus just a different one that is getting into the H2H and hurting us humans or is it a variation of BF?

DB, can you either tell me or post a link for me to read your thoughts?

Thanks.