Reunion Island is trying to eradicate
mosquitoes |
Madagascar
has recorded the first cases of a mosquito-borne disease that has
caused havoc and is linked to 93 deaths on Reunion Island, to the
east.
The African state did not release figures for the number of
people affected by the chikungunya virus, but called it a sporadic
outbreak.
The symptoms of chikungunya include high fever, dehydration and
severe pain - and there is no known cure.
The crippling disease has afflicted 20% of Reunion Islanders in
the past year.
Some 93 deaths have been related to it directly or indirectly,
the authorities say, since it broke out last year.
The disease is generally non-fatal, but it can leave patients
vulnerable to other life-threatening diseases.
The French island of Reunion is about 500 miles (800km) east of
Madagascar in the Indian Ocean.
Other Indian Ocean islands, including Mayotte, Mauritius and the
Seychelles, have also recorded cases, but its presence on Madagascar
puts 18 million inhabitants at risk.
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