“When will the reinforcements arrive to protect Mayotte fromEbola ? » calls out Estelle Youssouffa. MP Liot from Mayotte is worried about the spread of the virus in Central Africa. On Wednesday, the elected official tried to question the head of Beauvau, Laurent Nuñez, but it was ultimately the Minister of Health, Stéphanie Rist, who answered him. This ensured that the Overseas Territory is classified “low risk” by the World Health Organization (WHO). She also indicated that anticipatory measures had been taken “from Sunday”with a strengthening of health surveillance as well as an alert for the prefecture and the regional health agency of Mayotte “if a case arises”.
His explanations did not convince Estelle Youssouffa. The MP attacked Laurent Nuñez whom she described as “hidden from the Ministry of the Interior”. “You have established cowardice, powerlessness and passivity as public policy”she accuses.
The centrist elected official says she is particularly concerned about the situation in Mayotte, while the Ebola epidemic is affecting the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda. She describes Stéphanie Rist’s comments as “lies”stressing that the island is facing massive illegal immigration likely to import the virus there.
“During the Covid-19 epidemic, we experienced the South African variant. More recently, there has been monkeypox and cholera imported by illegal immigration.she reminds the Tangwall Campagin. In 2019, a case of Ebola had already been recorded, but it was quickly isolated and treated.
Not enough ambulances
According to the MP, “no health tests are currently carried out upon arrival of official maritime connections with the Comoros”. It also highlights the fragility of the archipelago, already affected by Cyclone Chido in December 2024 and which is still struggling to rebuild. A large part of the population lives in slums and experiences regular water cuts. “There are not enough ambulances in Mayotte and the hospital is still not completely rebuilt”she warns. The French department also does not have an incinerator, even though the bodies of Ebola victims remain highly contagious.
Mainland France could also be exposed, particularly in the event of the return of a national in the incubation phase
In the hemicycle, Estelle Youssouffa notably questioned the government on the establishment of the Tsoundzou wild camp. “Just this week, a boat loaded with migrants, some from the Great Lakes, docked before its passengers dispersed into the wild. Most go to this camp located in the mangrove, where the living conditions are scandalous and undignified.she laments to the Tangwall Campagin. This precariousness would thus constitute a breeding ground for the spread of the virus.
For his part, the director of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, is concerned about “scale and speed” of the Bundibugyo strain, for which there is no vaccine or treatment. He estimates the risk ” pupil “ in Central Africa, but ” weak “ on a global scale.
Infectious disease specialist Xavier Lescure also recognizes that illegal immigration can represent a risk: “A kwassa linking the African coast to the Comoros and then to Mayotte is more difficult to detect and often goes under the radar. » A ” reality ” which he says he observed during a recent professional trip to Mayotte, as part of an operational coordination mission for epidemiological risk.
According to him, mainland France could also be exposed, particularly in the event of the return of a national in the incubation phase, which can last from 2 to 21 days. However, he puts things into perspective, specifying that the epidemic has not yet reached the major African airport cities: “If it affected a city like Kinshasa, there would then be real potential for global diffusion. »
Health services are strengthening
The doctor nevertheless wants to be reassuring about the response capacity in Mayotte: “We will be ready. The action plan is being deployed and the teams are being trained. » A reference health establishment (ESR) is present on the island, another in Reunion. Following the activation of the crisis unit, the Mayotte hospital center is getting organized: a tent has been set up in front of the emergency room to accommodate suspected cases, around thirty caregivers have been trained, and a Smur ambulance is ready to intervene. Thirty other professionals must still be trained next week.
Xavier Lescure also calls for “international solidarity” in order to help the DRC and Uganda contain the epidemic at the source. An appeal shared by Estelle Youssouffa, who also pleads for strengthening control at the borders of Mayotte, in particular by limiting connections with the continent, in particular flights to Madagascar and Kenya. She also requests additional resources for law enforcement to deter the arrival of new kwassa. Finally, the MP proposes to place in ” quarantine “ migrants arriving illegally by boat. Yet another way to protect the population.
