Congo hemorrhagic fever causes a flu-like illness that starts within one week of the tick bite. The initial symptoms are mild, but may become severe very quickly.

The most common initial symptoms of congo hemorrhagic fever include:

• Abdominal pain
• Back pain
• Body aches
• Fever
• Severe headache
• Joint pain (multiple joints)
• Nausea
• Vomiting

After 3-5 days, signs and symptoms of hemorrhage may occur, including:

• Rash that looks like bruises or broken blood vessels in the skin
• Blood in the stool
• Blood in urine
• Black stools
• Abdominal swelling:
• Liver enlargement

Symptoms of severe congo hemorrhagic fever include:

• Coma
• Confusion
• Lethargy:
• A condition of excessive sleepiness or drowsiness.
• Low blood pressure