An unknown disease with flu-like symptoms has killed at least 79 people, according to the Democratic Republic of Congo BBC. The unidentified disease has infected 300 people in DR Congo since November 10, causing flu-like symptoms including fever, headache, cough, breathing difficulties and anemia, the country’s health ministry said. Most of the dead were between the ages of 15 and 18, the report said. In a statement on
Response teams have been deployed to Kwango Province to handle cases and investigate the nature of the disease exhaust reported. The government has called on citizens to remain calm and vigilant. They urged people to wash their hands with soap, avoid mass gatherings and avoid touching the bodies of the deceased without qualified health personnel.
An official from the World Health Organization’s (WHO) African region told the BBC that they have “sent a team to the remote area to collect samples for laboratory testing.” The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has an office in Congo, said it is aware of the situation and is providing technical assistance to a rapid response team dispatched from a local emergency operations center. NBC News.
Civil society leader Symphorien Manzanza said the situation is worrying as the number of infected people continues to rise. “Panzi is a rural health zone, so there is a problem with the supply of medicines,” he said.
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Separately, a local MP said around 67 people had fallen ill and died between November 10 and 26. “It should be noted that Panzi Hospital has a shortage of medicines to deal with this epidemic. We really need help,” the MP said.
Notably, the latest outbreak comes at a time when the Central African country is also dealing with a serious outbreak of mpox. It also comes just before the fifth anniversary of the first recorded case of Covid-19 in Wuhan, China.
DR Congo has also suffered Ebola attacks over the years.