An unidentified disease with flu-like symptoms has killed at least 79 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to BBCThe unidentified disease has infected 300 people in DR Congo since November 10, causing flu-like symptoms including fever, headache, cough, difficulty breathing and anemia, the country’s health ministry said. It said that most of the deceased were between 15 and 18 years of age. In a statement on X, the ministry said the disease was of “still unknown origin” and was detected in Kwango province in south-western Congo.
Response teams have been sent to Kwango province to manage cases and investigate the nature of the disease, the outlet reported. The government has urged citizens to remain calm and alert. He urged people to wash their hands with soap, avoid mass gatherings and avoid touching the bodies of the dead without qualified health personnel.
An official from the World Health Organization (WHO) Africa region told the BBC that they had “sent a team to the remote area to collect samples for laboratory testing”. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has an office in Congo, said it was aware of the situation and was providing technical assistance to a rapid response team dispatched by the local emergency operations center. NBC News.
Civil society leader Symphorian Manzanza said the situation is worrying as the number of infected people is continuously increasing. “Panji is a rural health area, so there is a problem in the supply of medicines,” he said.
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Separately, a local MP said that about 67 people fell ill and died between November 10 and 26. “It should be noted that Panjim Hospital is short of medicines to deal with this pandemic. We really need assistance,” the MP said.
Notably, the latest outbreak comes at a time when the Central African country is also battling a serious outbreak of mpox. It comes just ahead of the fifth anniversary of the first recorded case of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China.
DR Congo has also dealt with bouts of Ebola in the past few years.
