The declaration followed analysis on blood samples conducted at the Central Africa Reference Laboratory in Franceville, Gabon. Of 48 samples scrutinized, over 58 percent showed the presence of the Chikungunya virus, Dokekias explained.

No deaths have so far been linked to the epidemic, [initially thought to be malaria] but health authorities have warned of elevated risks of a dengue fever outbreak. Dengue is another infection transmitted by mosquito vectors.

According to Congo’s Technical Committee for the Management of Epidemics, the current Chikungunya surge is predominant and concentrated in districts in the southern parts of the capital Brazzaville. The most affected neighborhoods include Makelekele, Bacongo, Mfilou and Moungali where panic is obvious among residents especially as medics indicate there is no cure for the disease.

The committee officials say the proximity of mosquito breeding sites to human habitation is a major risk factor for Chikungunya. Infected persons are showing symptoms ranging from fever, severe joint pain, muscle pain and headache to nausea, fatigue, light nose and gum bleeding as well as rash.

The WHO says the virus is transmitted from human to human by the bites of infected female mosquitoes most commonly of the Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus species.

Both also transmit other mosquito-borne viruses, including dengue. Unlike other mosquito species which prefer the night to feed on human blood, the Chikungunya vectors can be found biting throughout daylight hours both out- and indoors.

Illness usually sets in between four and eight days after the bite of an infected mosquito. There are neither specific drugs to cure the disease, nor is there any vaccine currently available.

Treatment is based on toning down the gravity of the symptoms, and is based primarily on the use of paracetamol as well as the hydration of patients.

Medics however strongly warn against taking certain medications such as aspirin and anti-inflammatory tablets that can promote the hemorrhagic form of the disease. In the majority of cases, patients recover completely, but in some cases joint pain may persist for several months, or even years.

Experts say sporadic cases of eye, neurological and heart complications have been reported, as well as gastrointestinal complaints. Dokekias says severe complications are uncommon, though the disease can lead to death in older patients.

He says most often symptoms are mild and the infection may go unnoticed for long periods, or be misdiagnosed in areas where dengue occurs.

Dokekias says the government is embarking on a massive mosquito-eradication campaign in the affected districts. “We have been able to capture the mosquito species. We will send it to Franceville which will confirm that in the saliva of the mosquito is found the Chikungunya virus and from there, we will conduct tests to determine which variety of insecticides the mosquitoes are sensitive to,” he said.

Meantime, a sensitization campaign is underway to teach vulnerable people prevention methods including pest control and sanitation of the environment. Experts say clearing the immediate environments of natural and artificial water-filled container habitats that support breeding of the mosquitoes is crucial in prevention and control of Chikungunya as well as other diseases like malaria transmitted by mosquitoes.

“Children should sleep under treated mosquito nets both in the day and at night. Another method, linked to means includes blocking windows and doors with nets to prevent mosquitoes entering homes and biting people. Also, people should use insecticides and it should be that which is adapted to the type of mosquito, because not all insecticides have the same strength against these mosquitoes,” he advised.

He adds that during outbreaks as is the case in the Congo currently, people should dress to cover as much of their bodies as possible to avoid mosquito bites, and also apply recommended repellents if they must expose parts of their body

Chikungunya occurs in Africa, Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Several African countries including Mali, Senegal, the Ivory Coast, Cape Verde and Gabon have experienced the disease.

However, in recent decades, the mosquito vectors have been spreading. The WHO says in 2007, Chikungunya transmission was reported for the first time in Europe, in a localized outbreak in north-eastern Italy.