French PM Bitten by Mosquito on Disease-Hit Island
Date: 03-Mar-06
Country: FRANCE
"All's well. Everything's fine," Villepin told reporters, days after returning from the Indian Ocean Island of La Reunion where 160,000 people have been infected by Chikungunya fever, a virus marked by high fever and severe rashes.
Villepin's doctor said there was no cause for concern, although Health Minister Xavier Bertrand said last week the virus had directly or indirectly killed 77 people on La Reunion.
"It would be very bad luck if the mosquito was carrying the disease. There's no reason to worry," Le Figaro newspaper quoted the doctor as saying. It did not give his name.
Villepin visited La Reunion, a French territory off the southeast coast of Africa, at the weekend to show solidarity with the islanders and announced extra aid to fight the disease.
There is no known cure or vaccine for Chikungunya fever, which weakens the immune system, but most people recover. The name comes from the Swahili for stooped walk, referring to the posture of those afflicted.
It has been a difficult few days for Villepin. France has been hit by an outbreak of bird flu on a farm, Villepin is under fire over a government-backed merger between two energy companies and his popularity ratings have fallen.