By NewsDesk @bactiman63
In a follow-up on the chikungunya outbreak in West Darfur, Sudan, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports today that 248 people in West Darfur were diagnosed with chikungunya, with one related death reported. This is up from 45 confirmed cases a little over one week ago.
UN officials say more than 300 cases were reported between July 2019 and February 2020 during the last chikungunya outbreak in the country.
In 2018, more than 19,000 cases of chikungunya were reported across the country.
With the rainy season, there is usually a spike in vector-borne diseases in Sudan as stagnant water provides a breeding ground for mosquitoes, which are the main vectors of chikungunya, malaria and other diseases.
Chikungunya is a viral disease transmitted to humans by infected mosquitoes.
Symptoms of chikungunya are fever and severe joint pain, as well as muscle pain, joint swelling, headache, nausea, fatigue and rash. Joint pain associated with chikungunya is often debilitating and can vary in duration. There is currently no vaccine or specific drug for the virus and treatment focuses on relieving the disease symptoms, according to the WHO.
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