With the recent outbreak of chikungunya virus so far claiming 33 lives in the Antilles and French Guiana, France's health minister warned that the regions are facing a serious epidemic.
"This is a major epidemic, with about 5,000 new cases every month," Marisol Touraine told BFMTV. "The disease has indirectly caused 33 deaths in vulnerable elderly people, affected nearly 100,000 people and resulted in 1,000 hospitalisations in the French Americas."
Chikungunya
Chikungunya is a viral disease spread by mosquito bites; it causes fever, severe joint pain and rash on the body. Chikungunya occurs in Africa, Asia and the Indian sub continent.
Advertisement
Touraine said she was going to the region next week to deal with what she called "a major public health issue".
The Antilles, also known as the French West Indies, are a group of Caribbean islands under French sovereignty, while French Guiana is a territory on the north Atlantic coast of South America, bordered by Brazil and Suriname.
![Chikungunya Mutation Places Several Continents at Risk of Epidemic: Study]( "Chikungunya Mutation Places Several Continents at Risk of Epidemic: Study")
Researchers of University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston were able to predict further adaptations of the chikungunya virus that recently spread from Africa to several continents.
The mosquito-born chikungunya virus has been spreading through the Caribbean and Central America.
The virus -- rarely fatal, but nevertheless serious -- sparks high fevers and severe joint aches, as well as headaches, nausea and extreme fatigue.
It does not kill directly but in combination with other illnesses can lead to death.
Source: AFP
Chikungunya Mutation Places Several Continents at Risk of Epidemic: Study
Researchers of University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston were able to predict further adaptations of the chikungunya virus that recently spread from Africa to several continents.
Advertisement
The mosquito-born chikungunya virus has been spreading through the Caribbean and Central America.
The virus -- rarely fatal, but nevertheless serious -- sparks high fevers and severe joint aches, as well as headaches, nausea and extreme fatigue.
It does not kill directly but in combination with other illnesses can lead to death.
Source: AFP
Advertisement
Advertisement
|
Advertisement
Recommended Readings
Latest General Health News
In India, youth must be aware of the diseases linked to cigarette smoking and tobacco consumption, causing a form of healthcare emergency.
Direct coastal access may represent a viable route to public health promotion, but the relationships of coastal living are not strongest among lower-income groups.
New research by Tinnitus UK has found that over four million gardeners are putting their hearing capacity at risk this summer without using safety protection.
Mucus plugs could be targeted to help reduce fatalities from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
The development of reliable curative therapies for multiple sclerosis could significantly reduce the economic burden of the disease on patients and wider society.