The number of people affected by the chikungunya virus is expected to drop drastically in the coming weeks with the first signs of winter… But the ministry of Health is already thinking about next summer. To avoid the situation the country has faced over the past months – and, even worse, the one Reunion has suffered – the government is mobilised to engage in a new process as from next month.

The ministry will launch a national campaign to prevent the virus from affecting the country again next summer. Officers from the ministries of Health and Environment will be going to people’s houses to survey the situation. They will probably operate as for the fight against malaria giving a code number to every house and surveying the number of people living in each one.

This should help the ministry identify areas at risk and act more rapidly and in a more scientific way as soon as they are informed of any disease transmitted by mosquitoes.

Moreover, the ministries’ officers will spray products to eradicate mosquitoes. New equipment will also be purchased. Of course, this will need more investment – Rs 25 million – and minister Sithanen will have to release such funds. Not only will this money be useful to fight the disease with the purchase of specific products but it will also employ more people. The government also intends to call on foreign specialists, especially French and Indian experts, who have experience in diseases transmitted by insects.

The government is presently anxious about the dangers Mauritius could be exposed to regarding contagious diseases present in countries like Comoros, Madagascar and India; Mauritius is visited by a high number of people from such countries every year and is thus exposed to the same problems.

The ministry of Health will soon introduce a national plan of prevention and intervention to the cabinet where it will present all the technical and financial needs so that the cabinet can make a decision.

The whole campaign will end in November when the authorities will be able to take stock of the situation and see how useful it was. Of course the eradication of mosquitoes will go on during the whole year… with, hopefully, a very low number of people affected with the disease.