Mauritius fights epidemic
2006-02-28 10:06
Port Louis - Mauritius Prime Minister
Navinchandra Ramgoolam has called on the population to help
fight a crippling mosquito-borne virus which has swept across
several countries in the Indian Ocean region.
"Chikungunya" fever, for which there is no known cure or
vaccine, has been spreading through islands off the southeast
coast of Africa since January, infecting more than 150 000
people in Reunion, Seychelles and Mauritius.
Mauritius has 1 174 confirmed cases and 4 177 suspected
cases, and authorities say they are awaiting tests after the
death of a 33-year-old man last week.
After chairing a national committee comprising of government
officials, private sector, local charities and community groups
to co-ordinate efforts to fight the epidemic, Ramgoolam said he
expected the number of cases to rise in the coming days.
High fever, rashes
He said it was essential that the island's 1.2 million
people mobilised themselves to help fight the epidemic.
"All Mauritian citizens should be concerned by this problem
and everyone should be engaged in fighting this virus,"
Ramgoolam said late on Monday.
The disease, first recognised in Tanzania in 1952, is marked
by high fever and severe rashes.
The World Health Organisation 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.
Authorities blame the spread of the disease on heavy rains
in recent months and have launched a countrywide public
awareness campaign and are fumigating areas where cases of the
viral infection have been found.
Ramgoolam said he was exempting duties on mosquito-repellent
to make it more affordable to people and was considering
exempting duties on fogging machines and insecticides.
Mauritius is heavily reliant on tourism with over 700 000
tourists flocking to its white sand beaches every year.
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.
Seychelles, which reported at least 1 000 cases at the
beginning of February, says numbers have now started to decline
with the end of heavy rains.
There have been no confirmed cases in Madagascar or Comoros.