Mysterious disease kills five in Tanzania: Experts dispatched to investigate ‘strange’ disease

A mysterious disease that causes headaches and fever has killed at least five people in Tanzania.

Health chiefs for the East African nation, which is located just south of Kenya, described the disease as “rare”.

Authorities have now dispatched a team of doctors to diagnose the disease, with seven cases reported in the northwestern region of Kagera.

Symptoms of the disease include fever, headaches, fatigue and nosebleeds, the government’s chief medical officer, Tumaini Nagu, told the BBC.

“The government has formed a regional team of professionals under the Rapid Response Team who are investigating this unknown disease,” Nagu said.

Nagu said that residents of the Kagera region should avoid contact with infected people and remain calm.

In July last year, three people with similar symptoms died after an outbreak in the Lindi region of southern Tanzania. More than 20 cases were reported at that time.

Investigations later identified the disease as leptospirosis, also known as Weil’s disease.

Weil’s disease is a rare infection that is transmitted through the urine of animals such as rats, mice, cows, pigs, and dogs.

Symptoms include fever, headache, nausea and vomiting, muscle and joint pain, red eyes, and loss of appetite.

Severe cases of the infection can cause yellow skin and eyes, swollen ankles, feet, or hands, chest pain, shortness of breath, or coughing up blood.

The disease can be treated with antibiotics and may take a few days to a few weeks to clear up.

But without treatment, the infection could take months to recover and could cause life-threatening kidney and liver failure.

Although 90 percent of cases are mild, between five and 15 percent progress to a severe form that can cause organ failure and even death. Between one and five percent of cases are fatal.