Réunion Island on health alert after spike in chikungunya disease

Réunion Island on health alert after spike in chikungunya disease

The authorities on the French overseas territory of Réunion Island have issued a health alert after more than 4,000 new cases of the chikungunya virus were reported in the space of a week

As the chikungunya epidemic affects the whole island, students from Réunion ask Nicolas Odon, assistant to the head of the vector control department at Réunion's ARS.

In the face of the intensification of the epidemic, the French-Austrian pharmaceutical group Valneva will provide from the beginning of April 40,000 doses of vaccine, "managed by the authorities" health. To date, 15 serious cases have been reported, including eight adults and seven newborns.

The first vaccine against Chikungunya, developed by the Austrian-French pharmaceutical company Valneva in Vienna, is now available in Austria. In this way, travellers can protect themselves from infection in countries where the virus is endemic, the manufacturer announced in a message on Thursday. It is expected that the burden of climate change will continue to increase. The mosquitoes that transmit the virus spread to more and more countries.

The Réunion region, which belongs to France and is located in the Indian Ocean, is experiencing a health crisis due to the intensified outbreak of chikungunya. In just one week, the cases have exceeded 4,000, according to the delegation of the Government of that department. According to EFE, between 10 and 16 March, 4,156 cases have been counted, representing an increase of 16 per cent compared to the previous week, according to an official stat…