Chikungunya in Africa: Senegal and Burkina Faso

During the last week of September, 142 new cases of chikungunya were reported from Burkina Faso and Senegal. This brings the total cases in the two countries to 533 in 2023.

Senegal

Image/CDC

During the week ending September 30, the Senegal Ministry of Health reported 53 new confirmed cases and no new deaths of chikungunya from Tambacounda region.

Cumulatively, 210 confirmed cases and no deaths o

f chikungunya have been reported from six of 14 regions in Senegal. The outbreak is active in Kedougou and Tambacounda regions.

Burkina Faso

On 6 September 2023, the Burkina Faso MoH reported 89 confirmed cases and no deaths of chikungunya in Pouytenga, Centre-Est region. The index case was a 30-year-old female, living in sector 2 at Pouytenga without any history of travel to any Member State experiencing an outbreak of chikungunya.

The outbreak was confirmed by RT-PCR at the National Viral Haemorrhagic Fever Reference Laboratory (MURAZ), Ouagadougou. The index case presented with fever, headache and joint pain. Cumulatively, 323 cases (89 confirmed; 234 suspected) and no deaths were reported from Pouytenga in Burkina Faso.

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According to the WHO, chikungunya is a viral disease transmitted to humans through the bites of mosquitoes infected with the chikungunya virus. It was first described during an outbreak in southern Tanzania in 1952 and has now been identified in nearly 40 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe and, most recently, the Americas. Symptoms usually begin 4 to 8 days after a mosquito bite but can appear anywhere from 2 to 12 days.

The most common symptom is an abrupt onset of fever, often accompanied by joint pain. Other symptoms include muscle pain, headache, nausea, fatigue, and rash. Severe joint pain usually lasts a few days but can persist for months or even years. Serious complications are uncommon, but atypical severe cases can cause long-term symptoms and even death, especially in older people.