Mystery illness kills more than 100 in southwest Congo
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Topline An outbreak of an undiagnosed illness in southwest Congo that causes flu-like symptoms has infected more than 400 people since October, health officials said Sunday, and is believed to have killed 143 people since October, disproportionately affecting children under five, as health officials struggle to contain the disease in the remote province of Kwango.
Highlights
Between October 24 and December 5, the World Health Organization recorded 406 cases of the illness, which causes fever, headache, cough, runny nose and body aches, particularly affecting children under five and women, the WHO said Sunday.
Local authorities said the disease has killed 143 people, Bosmanbusinessworld reported on today, a much higher number than the 31 deaths recorded by the WHO. The most severe cases include people suffering from severe malnutrition, according to the WHO, which reports that acute pneumonia, influenza, COVID-19, measles and malaria are considered possible causative factors.
The isolated Panzi health zone, where the outbreak is located, requires 48 hours to travel from Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, hindering access to treatment and supplies, as well as diagnostic and response efforts, conditions exacerbated by the rainy season. , WHO reported.
Initial diagnoses indicate that it may be a respiratory illness, the director-general of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Jean Kaseya, told The Associated Press.
Key quotes
It's really important not to panic until we have more information, Ann Rimoin, an epidemiologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, told NBC News. "It could be anything. . . it could be the flu, it could be Ebola, it could be Marburg, it could be meningitis, it could be measles. At this point, we really don't know. »
An important figure
64% That's the percentage of cases in children under 14, according to the WHO, which also said that 60% of cases involved women.
Key context
Local authorities and WHO have deployed rapid response teams to the Panzi health zone to conduct surveillance, epidemiological analysis and strengthen access to health care. Meanwhile, food insecurity is worsening in Kwango province, moving from level 1, the "acceptable" classification of the integrated food security phase, in April to crisis level 3 in September, the WHO said. The disease appears to be transmissible as cases have been reported in family units. WHO assesses a "high" level of risk in affected communities, but a moderate level nationally, as the outbreak is localized in the Panzi health zone. WHO has called for enhanced coordination at the national and local levels, including improved communication infrastructure as network coverage is limited in the affected areas.
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