oh goodie..another disease

[Guest guest]

Chikungunya virus spreads to Europe

08 September 2007

 

Magazine issue 2620

AS FEARED, the chikungunya virus has begun spreading in Europe. In

June, a few people near Ravenna in north-east Italy developed a fever

with severe joint pain, but by mid-August there were more than 100

cases.

 

The Italian government has confirmed that the culprit is chikungunya

virus, a previously rare, mild infection spread by mosquitoes, that

has mutated into a virulent, rapidly spreading strain. Since 2005, it

has infected at least 1.4 million people in India and on islands in

the Indian Ocean and may have killed thousands.

 

Italian officials blame the outbreak on warm weather and unusually

high numbers of mosquitoes, but as New Scientist went to press no more

new cases had come to light in recent days.

 

Chikungunya has been diagnosed in dozens of travellers returning to

Europe and North America from infected areas

 

 

off newscientist

 

 

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Never thought about the problems of this planet at all

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Why think of all the bad things when life is so good?

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Let the whales worry about the poisons in the sea

Outside of California, it's foreign policy

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I never looked around, never second-guessed

Then I read some Howard Zinn now I'm always depressed

And now I can't sleep from years of apathy

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