Indian Ocean island epidemic hits 50,000 (and growing)

http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/news/story.jsp?idq=/ff/story/7000%2F20060202%2F0520000002.htm&ewp=ewp_news_0206mystery_disease


Some 50,000 people on France's Indian Ocean island of Reunion have been hit by an epidemic of a crippling mosquito-borne disease that has no known cure.

Doctors have recorded 45,000 new cases of "chikungunya" since mid-December, when the epidemic started to gather pace, Philippe Renault -- a specialist with a regional epidemiologal cell -- told a press conference on Thursday.

The previous toll, given last Friday, had stood at 30,000.

Chikungunya is Swahili for "that which bends up" and refers to the stooped posture of those afflicted by the non-fatal but extremely painful disease for which there is no known vaccine or cure.

-snip-

Authorities in Madagascar also fear the disease may have reached their island.
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50000 and growing people permanently disabled in chronic pain

global warming is not your friend

I have been working with PETA against the practice of
using live dogs and cats as shark bait on Reunion. Never once
heard about this epidemic. Never even heard of this disease
before.

When there are so many fat, juicy Republicans we could send over there instead ?? :evilfrown:

They tried that already; the republicans were much to greasy for the sharks' taste.

:)

fer crying out loud. About a real issue we hear nothing. :shrug:

Just curious, where that came from. How is this related to global warming? That last line threw me a bit.

nobody gets permanently disabled of the fever

in normal cases it causes severe fluelike symptoms and joint pain for a couple of days. More severe cases last up to 3 months. Out of the 50000 touched by the virus 150 are in hospital and only 22 severe cases have been registered...

1500 military and civilians are working to eradicate the mosquitos

read more here

http://www.cbwinfo.com/Biological/Pathogens/CHIK.html

the virus is present from Africa to Indonesia and massive epidemics have happened before. So no link with global warming can be proven...