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A disabling mosquito-borne illness referred to as chikungunya has killed two aged individuals within the French Indian Ocean island of La Reunion, native authorities mentioned Friday.
An 86-year-old and a 96-year-old died final week of the sickness that causes fever and extreme joint ache, the prefect and the regional well being authority mentioned, including that one in all them had an underlying situation.
There have been 8,500 instances throughout the entire territory since August 2024, and the outbreak has gained traction in current weeks, they mentioned.
Within the single week from March 3 to 9, 2,888 instances had been registered, 77 of whom needed to be admitted to accident and emergency.
Authorities have beneficial weak individuals to get vaccinated and deployed some 150 well being employees in addition to municipal employees to fumigate the island every day.
The title “chikungunya” derives from a phrase within the Kimakonde language of southern Tanzania, that means “to become contorted” and describes the stooped look of victims with joint ache, based on the World Well being Group.
The virus is carried by two mosquito species that may additionally transmit the dengue and Zika viruses.
La Reunion, positioned east of Madagascar, is one in all France’s abroad territories that span the globe from the Caribbean to the Pacific.
In 2005 and 2006, a chikungunya outbreak in La Reunion affected round a 3rd of the island’s inhabitants, killing 225 individuals.
© 2025 AFP
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Mosquito-borne chikungunya kills two in France’s La Reunion (2025, March 21)
retrieved 21 March 2025
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