Chikungunya Fever
The number of people in Mauritius infected with a mosquito-borne disease which is ravaging through the Indian Ocean region has risen to 962 from 341 the previous week, the government said.
“Chikungunya” fever, for which there is no known cure or vaccine, has been spreading through islands off the southeast coast of Africa since January, affecting more than 150,000 people in Reunion, Seychelles and Mauritius.
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The disease, first recognised in Tanzania, is marked by high fever and severe rashes, and while most people recover, it is extremely painful.
The World Health Organization says it does not believe the tropical virus is fatal, but health experts say it can weaken the immune system, allowing other deadly diseases to set in.
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Around 157,000 cases have been detected on the volcanic French island of Reunion, where health officials say there have been 77 deaths directly or indirectly linked to the virus.
[Source: Reuters via Yahoo! News]
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