deaths in in the southwest of the Democratic Republic of the Congo due to an as yet unidentified disease continue to increase. So far, 71 deaths have been confirmed, 27 recorded in hospitals and 44 in communities in the southern province of Kwango. The World Health Organization (WHO) has sent a team of experts to the field to collect samples and perform laboratory tests to try to identify the pathogen responsible.
Test results should be available today or tomorrow, Jean Kaseya, director of the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said at a news conference today. “The initial diagnoses make us think that it is a respiratory disease, but we have to wait for the laboratory results.” Of the hospitalized patients, 17 due to respiratory problems. Kaseya stressed that many aspects about the disease are still unknown, including whether it is contagious and how it is transmitted. It is believed that around 380 cases have been identified so far, with almost half affecting children under five years of age.
People infected with the mystery illness present with flu-like symptoms, including cough, vomiting, “high fever and severe headaches,” said Remy Saki, deputy governor of Kwango province, and Apollinaire Yumba, provincial health minister. of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Reuters. The authorities are urging citizens Take extreme precautions and avoid contact with corpses to avoid possible contagion. However, the number of infected continues to increase, as does the alert level.
This area of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is very fragile from a health point of view: 40 percent of residents suffer from malnutrition and access to medical care is difficult for many, with a shortage of medicines. This new outbreak coincides with the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s fight against an mpox epidemic, which the WHO declared in August a public health emergency of international concern.
This story originally appeared on WIRING Italy and has been translated from Italian.