Gabon reports outbreak of Chikungunya virus
Pastor Dale Morgan
*Gabon reports outbreak of Chikungunya virus*
13 May 2007 18:48:28 GMT
Source: Reuters
LIBREVILLE, May 13 (Reuters) - An outbreak of the mosquito-borne
Chikungunya virus has hit the central African country of Gabon, and
5,000 suspected cases had been reported so far, the government said on
Sunday.
The illness had been detected over the last month in patients in the
capital Libreville and the southern suburb of Owendo on the Gabon
Estuary, Minister of State for Health Paulette Missambo said in a
statement published by state media. Last year, Indian Ocean islands on
the other side of the African continent, particularly La Reunion,
reported outbreaks of the disease.
First identified in Tanzania in 1952, it causes high fever, headache,
nausea, vomiting and muscle and joint pain.
The Gabonese government said samples from patients sent for testing in
France had confirmed the Chikungunya virus. Officials said fumigation
and disinfection programmes would be carried out in affected neighbourhoods.
Gabon's capital Libreville and other cities grew rapidly during the
country's oil boom, but lack of planned urbanisation and basic
sanitation mean that garbage often goes uncollected and pools of
stagnant water form during the rainy season.
This causes ideal conditions for the breeding of mosquitoes which carry
Chikungunya and other diseases like malaria.
French and American authorities have been working on a vaccine that
protects against the virus.
The incubation period for the illness can be 2-12 days. Acute fever can
last a couple of weeks. Some patients report debilitating joint pain
which can continue for weeks or months.