The fight against the chikungunya epidemic in Réunion is becoming more complicated: health authorities have just "immediately" withdrawn those over 65 from the vaccination campaign for the Indian Ocean island and Mayotte after three "serious adverse events," including one death.
This decision comes a few weeks after the launch of this campaign, which primarily targeted seniors, at a time when the chikungunya epidemic has already caused the death of nine people in Réunion, according to a provisional report.
"Vaccination remains open to people aged 18 to 64 with comorbidities," the Ministry of Health stated in a press release.
Following these announcements, Senator Audrey Bélim (PS) called for a parliamentary commission of inquiry to "shed light on the reasons for the serious error concerning the vaccination of those over 65" and on the "failures" of the Regional Health Agency in the management of the epidemic.
Health authorities were informed on April 23 of two "serious adverse events," including one death, and then of a third on April 25.
"Given the seriousness of these events, the Directorate General of Health (DGS) urgently contacted the High Authority of Health on April 24 to re-evaluate the indications for vaccination against chikungunya using the Ixchiq vaccine" from the Valneva laboratory, the Ministry of Health specified.
Following the French High Authority for Health (HAS)'s decision on Friday to revise vaccination targets, health authorities have decided to remove from the vaccination target, "without delay, people aged 65 and over, whether or not they have comorbidities."
Contacted by AFP, the Franco-Austrian pharmaceutical group Valneva has not yet responded.
The three serious adverse events occurred in Réunion Island in people over 80 years old with comorbidities, the Ministry of Health said. "Two people presented symptoms similar to those of a severe form of chikungunya a few days after vaccination, one of whom died. The third was discharged from hospital," the same source added.
On April 17, the drug agency announced "enhanced monitoring" of possible post-vaccination side effects with the Ixchiq vaccine.
– 100,000 doses of vaccines –
Chikungunya, an infectious disease caused by a virus transmitted by the tiger mosquito, causes a high fever and joint pain that can last for several weeks. There is no specific treatment for the disease.
Faced with a widespread and major epidemic in Reunion Island, health authorities launched a vaccination campaign on the island in early April. The vaccine used, Ixchiq, is the first against chikungunya to have obtained marketing authorization in Europe.
Some 40,000 doses of this vaccine have arrived in Réunion Island, and an additional 60,000 have been purchased. These doses were primarily intended for people aged 65 and over with comorbidities.
The vaccination campaign has started "timidly," the director general of the regional health agency (ARS), Gérard Cotellon, recently indicated.
The provisional death toll from the chikungunya epidemic in Réunion Island stands at nine, according to health authorities, who emphasize that the epidemic is "stabilizing at a high level," according to figures released Wednesday.
From April 7 to 13, the last week for which data is available, 350 emergency room visits were recorded compared to 289 the previous week, an increase of 21%.
The number of confirmed cases recorded over the same period has fallen, from 6,237 to 4,304, but Public Health France specifies that this number has not been consolidated and that it could therefore turn out to be higher.
The current epidemic began in August 2024, but cases exploded starting in March 2025. Before this outbreak, no cases of chikungunya had been reported in Réunion since 2010. A major epidemic there affected 260,000 people and caused more than 200 deaths between 2005 and 2006.
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