The head of the hospital service on Reunion Island is raising an alarm as the mosquito-borne chikungunya epidemic continues to escalate. In a candid interview on RMC radio, Lionel Calenge stressed the urgent need for additional medical personnel to manage the growing crisis.

"We are really stretched to our limits," Calenge declared, highlighting the mounting pressure on healthcare facilities. The peak of the epidemic, predicted for mid-April, has coincided alarmingly with a significant rise in cases.

This urgent plea comes right before French President Emmanuel Macron’s five-day tour of the Indian Ocean territories, which includes a stop in Reunion on Tuesday.

Since the beginning of the year, chikungunya has tragically claimed six lives on the island, and it's estimated that about one in nine of the nearly 900,000 residents may be affected. Despite claims from France's public health service that the epidemic was starting to ease, Calenge reported a grim reality: "Every day, for several weeks now, we have been receiving between 30 and 40 patients with 'chik' in our emergency wards."

The hospital system is overwhelmed, with 581 people hospitalized due to chikungunya, including 46 newborns. To compound the crisis, 540 medical staff members have been unable to work since early March after contracting the illness themselves.

Calenge indicated that while they have received three backup doctors, he requires six more to adequately address the ongoing emergency. In response to the worsening situation, the hospital service has been forced to postpone around 300 elective surgeries and has recalled personnel from vacation to handle the influx of patients.

As the situation unfolds, the call for medical reinforcements becomes increasingly urgent to combat one of the region’s most significant health challenges.