143 deaths in two weeks Researchers search for cause of mysterious disease in Congo
Many people no longer dare to leave their homes for fear of infection: In Congo, a new deadly disease is posing a puzzle. Children are particularly affected. Is the next pandemic looming?
The most important facts at a glance
- Dozens of people have died of a flu-like illness in the southwest of the Congo within two weeks.
- The patients have a fever, headaches and breathing problems: The disease has not yet been identified.
- The health authorities and the WHO are concerned: a team of experts is to investigate the mysterious disease.
The health authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have been battling an outbreak of Mpox for months. And now a mysterious disease has been added to the mix: The World Health Organization (WHO) is alarmed. They are aware of the unknown disease and have a team on the ground working with local health authorities to collect samples.
In the past two weeks, 143 people have already died as a result of the as yet unexplained disease, according to the news agency Reuters. Apollinaire Yumba, the health minister of the affected southwestern province of Kwango, said in a statement that children under the age of 15 were particularly affected by the disease with flu-like symptoms.
Flu-like symptoms
The deceased patients had fever, headaches, breathing problems and anemia (reduced hemoglobin concentration and therefore less oxygen in the blood). At least 376 people in the Panzi region, which belongs to Kwango, were affected by symptoms of the disease.
Yumba told Radio Okapi that a team of experts was on its way to Panzi to assess the situation. The team would not only treat patients, but also take samples that would then be analyzed at the National Biomedical Institute.
Origin of the disease still unclear
Until the scientists can present their results, people in the affected region should observe strict hygiene rules with frequent hand washing, avoiding large gatherings and keeping their distance, it was said. A doctor in Panzi told the news agency dpa that many residents were very scared. The origin of the disease is unclear, the doctor added.
The Democratic Republic of Congo is currently also facing other challenges in the health sector: For many months now, the outbreak of the disease Mpox has been putting a strain on medical staff and the few testing laboratories. More than 47,000 cases have been recorded in the country since the beginning of the year, although only a relatively small number of these have been officially confirmed due to a lack of testing capacity.
dpa
