About 3, 756 cases of Chikungunya disease have so far been reported in Dire Dawa city of eastern Ethiopia, reports said on Tuesday.
The Dire Dawa city administration health bureau said it is working to contain the outbreak of Chikungunya, a viral disease transmitted to humans by infected mosquitoes.
However, it has not yet been confirmed whether all cases are Chikungunya since the disease has similar symptoms of illness with malaria and dengue virus, said Dr Fuad Kedir, head of the bureau in a press conference on Tuesday According to Fuad, no death has been reported due to the outbreak.
The disease previously affected the Somali, Afar and Southern regional states and it might be spread to Dire Dawa by a mosquito, he noted.
There is no cure for the disease and the most effective protective measure is avoiding mosquito bites.
More than 179,000 insecticide-treated bed nets were distributed to prevent the disease, Dr Fuad told journalists.
Chikungunya causes fever and severe joint pain. Other symptoms include muscle pain, headache, fatigue and rash.
MG/abj/APA