THE ESSENTIAL
- Between December 23 and 29, 25 new indigenous cases of chikungunya were reported in Reunion, bringing the toll to 118 since August 23, 2024.
- In this French department, 34 cases of dengue fever have been reported since the end of August.
- Both of these diseases are transmitted to humans by the tiger mosquito.
Between December 23 and 29, 25 new indigenous cases of chikungunya were reported in Reunion, according to the latest epidemiological bulletin from Public health Francethe results of which for this period still remain provisional. The increase is higher than the previous week, from December 16 to 22, 2024, during which there were only 17 cases.
118 indigenous cases of chikungunya reported since summer
In total, since August 23, 2024, the total number is now 118 indigenous cases reported in this French department. “We speak of an indigenous case when a person contracted the disease on the national territory and has not traveled to a contaminated area in the 15 days preceding the appearance of symptoms”noted the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Regional Health Agency.
Currently, chikungunya cases are divided into five active outbreaks:
- 66 at Etang-Salé-les-Hauts
- 12 at The Hermitage
- 7 at Trois Mares les Bas
- 6 in Grand Bassin
- 6 at the 400 Line
Chikungunya: no patient was hospitalized
“We observe that the circulation of chikungunya is intensifying in the territory and continues to dispersewe can read in the balance sheet. This dispersion is manifested by a greater difficulty in linking cases to a known outbreak (increase in “isolated cases”), testifying to a circulation which is spreading”. So far, there have been no hospitalizations linked to chikungunya.
As a reminder, chikungunya is a viral disease transmitted to humans by tiger mosquitoes. Usually, it is more present in tropical countries where this pest is present, notably in the islands of the Indian Ocean and Oceania, in Africa, in India and even in Southeast Asia. But the tiger mosquito has settled in Europe and this pathology is also emerging there. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the symptoms of chikungunya are as follows: fever, severe joint pain, often debilitating and of variable duration, muscle pain, headache, joint swelling, nausea, fatigue and skin rashes. “Severe or fatal cases of chikungunya are rare, and are generally associated with the existence of other pathologies”, indicates the WHO.
34 people affected by dengue since this summer in Reunion
Chikungunya is not the only disease transmitted by tiger mosquitoes. These pests are also vectors of dengue fever, an infectious disease. In Réunion, 34 cases have been reported since the end of August, for which there have been 17 visits to the emergency room but no hospitalizations. “The majority of infected people have only mild or no symptoms, underlines the Pasteur Institute. In certain patients, for poorly understood reasons, the clinical picture of the disease can evolve into 'severe' dengue fever.”.
