Indian Ocean island epidemic hits 50,000 (and growing)

[donsu]

http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/news/story.jsp?idq=/ff/story/7000%2F20060202%2F0520000002.htm&ewp=ewp_news_0206mystery_disease


Some 50,000 people on France's Indian Ocean island of Reunion have been hit by an epidemic of a crippling mosquito-borne disease that has no known cure.

Doctors have recorded 45,000 new cases of "chikungunya" since mid-December, when the epidemic started to gather pace, Philippe Renault -- a specialist with a regional epidemiologal cell -- told a press conference on Thursday.

The previous toll, given last Friday, had stood at 30,000.

Chikungunya is Swahili for "that which bends up" and refers to the stooped posture of those afflicted by the non-fatal but extremely painful disease for which there is no known vaccine or cure.

-snip-

Authorities in Madagascar also fear the disease may have reached their island.
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50000 and growing people permanently disabled in chronic pain

global warming is not your friend