An unidentified disease resembling the flu has caused at least 143 deaths in the Kwango province of southwestern Democratic Republic of the Congo in November, predominantly affecting rural women and children.
The disease, first noticed in the Panzi health zone located at the Angola-Congo border, exhibits severe symptoms such as high fever, severe headaches, nasal discharge, breathing difficulties, and anemia, as reported by health officials.
Remy Saki, the Provincial Deputy Governor, and Apollinaire Yumba, the Health Minister, have confirmed that medical teams are on the ground collecting samples for testing to determine the causative agent.
The World Health Organization was informed about this mysterious disease and has since joined forces with Congo’s public health ministry to investigate the outbreak. The officials recorded between 67 and 143 deaths in the region between November 10 and November 25.
Cephorien Manzanza, a local civil society leader, raised concerns about the rising number of infections, stating, “Panzi is a rural health zone, so there is a problem with the supply of medicines.”
Health officials have reported that since late October, at least 376 people have been infected. The lack of adequate medical facilities in the rural region has resulted in many infected people dying at home.
This outbreak comes as Congo is already dealing with significant health crises, including a major mpox outbreak that has affected around 47,000 people and is suspected to have caused over 1,000 deaths.
The mpox virus has a new variant in the South Kivu province that is more transmissible and severe, particularly in children under five years old. This variant has infected 8,772 children in Congo this year, accounting for over half of the country’s reported cases.
Health authorities have not yet released data on the total suspected infections or hospitalizations associated with this unidentified illness. Officials have also not revealed whether patients have tested negative for other common diseases prevalent in the region.
The provincial health minister has urged residents to avoid contact with the bodies of the deceased to prevent potential transmission while investigations to identify the cause of the outbreak are ongoing.
