[Communiqué] Rathenon appeals to the government about the health situation in the Indian Ocean islands

Deputy Jean Hugues RATENON sent a letter to the Minister of Health and Prevention during his next visit to Mayotte on 9 and 10 May regarding the health situation in the Indian Ocean Islands.

Posted by NP – Tuesday, May 7, 2024 11:16 AM.

Mr. Frederic VALLET
Minister Delegate for Health and Prevention

Minister,

Since the beginning of the year, two epidemics have hit the Indian Ocean – cholera and leptospirosis.

Indeed, and above all, Mayotte was faced with a cholera epidemic. While the cases were initially imported from the Comoros, since last Friday, May 3, the first three local cases were diagnosed.

A total of 37 cases have been identified since the year. The epidemic, which tends to accelerate, is causing serious concern among residents and medical personnel.
This disease once again highlights the underdevelopment of the 101st French department with very degraded public services, lack of personnel, great poverty, lack of water, etc.

An epidemic situation that also risks spreading to Reunion Island. To date, we have not recorded a single case of the disease, however, with regard to air traffic in the Indian Ocean, we cannot exclude that we too have been affected.

In addition, Reunion Island is already facing another disease: leptospirosis. Since January 1, 2024, 204 cases of local leptospirosis have been registered in the ARS.

The number of cases occurring since the beginning of the year, that is, in less than 4 months, exceeds the maximum annual number of cases reported since the start of surveillance, which was 169 cases per year in 2022. In the week from April 22 to April 27 alone, this is 13 more cases.

Weather conditions since the beginning of the year, heavy rains and heat, have contributed to the unprecedented development of the disease. We also have to face a lack of human resources to clean up ravines and green spaces, which quickly turn into veritable nests for disease-carrying rats. A completely inadequate rodent control campaign is also a source of vector spread.

More seriously, these rodents infiltrate kindergartens and primary schools, leading to the closure of these institutions.

Let me remind you that leptospirosis is a fatal disease and the patient may experience serious consequences. This leads to overload of medical teams.

Also, what solutions can you offer to local authorities to recruit environmental teams?

Are you planning to allocate exceptional funds to carry out major rodent control campaigns across the island?

Are you considering making a decision about reimbursement for the leptospirosis vaccine?

Regarding cholera, as during the Covid epidemic, should we not temporarily establish a medical barrier between the islands and Reunion with increased border controls to prevent the disease from entering our territory.

Mr. Minister, you will be in Mayotte on May 9 and 10, I hope you will bring solutions with you.

At the same time, don’t you think it would be useful to go to Reunion Island to see the health situation?

In this anticipation, I ask you to trust, Mr. Minister Delegate, in the expression of my highest respect.

Jean-Hugues Rathenon,
Member of Parliament for Reunification