Congo: 4,000 cases of Chikungunya reported [The Morning Call]

At least 4,000 people in the Republic of Congo have been affected by the Chikungunya epidemic in the southern part of the country.

Health officials in the country are calling on the population to take preventive measures including the use of mosquito nets.

The first cases of this epidemic were detected in January in the coastal city of Pointe-Noire by the National Institute of Biomedical Research in Kinshasa. Since then, Congolese authorities have been monitoring the evolution of the disease.

Symptoms of the virus appear between 4 and 7 days after the patient has been bitten by the infected mosquito and these include: High fever, joint pain, joint swelling, rash, headache, muscle pain, nausea and fatigue.