Mosquito-borne chikungunya kills two in France’s La Reunion

A firefighter fumigating an area of La Reunion in 2018 – Copyright AFP Richard BOUHET

A disabling mosquito-borne disease called chikungunya has killed two elderly people in the French Indian Ocean island of La Reunion, local authorities said Friday.

An 86-year-old and a 96-year-old died last week of the illness that that causes fever and severe joint pain, the prefect and the regional health authority said, adding that one of them had an underlying condition.

There have been 8,500 cases across the whole territory since August 2024, and the outbreak has gained traction in recent weeks, they said.

In the single week from March 3 to 9, 2,888 cases were registered, 77 of whom had to be admitted to accident and emergency.

Authorities have recommended vulnerable people to get vaccinated and deployed some 150 health workers as well as municipal staff to fumigate the island on a daily basis.

The name “chikungunya” derives from a word in the Kimakonde language of southern Tanzania, meaning “to become contorted” and describes the stooped appearance of sufferers with joint pain, according to the World Health Organization.

The virus is carried by two mosquito species that can also transmit the dengue and Zika viruses.

La Reunion, located east of Madagascar, is one of France’s overseas territories that span the globe from the Caribbean to the Pacific.

In 2005 and 2006, a chikungunya outbreak in La Reunion affected around a third of the island’s population, killing 225 people.