An unidentified disease has claimed the lives of 143 people in Kwango Province, located in southwestern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), during November, local authorities reported.
Symptoms and Affected Population
Infected individuals presented flu-like symptoms, including:
- High fever
- Severe headaches
Remy Saki, deputy governor of Kwango Province, and Apollinaire Yumba, provincial health minister, confirmed the outbreak on Monday.
A local epidemiologist reported that women and children are the most severely affected, while the death toll continues to rise.
Medical Response and Challenges
Efforts to identify and address the outbreak are underway:
- A medical team has been dispatched to the rural Panzi health zone to collect samples and conduct analysis.
- The region faces significant challenges, including limited medical supplies and resources, which prevent many from receiving proper treatment.
Cephorien Manzanza, a civil society leader, expressed grave concern:
“Panzi is a rural health zone, so there is a problem with the supply of medicines. Sick people died in their own homes for lack of treatment.”
WHO Involvement
The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed it was alerted to the outbreak last week. A spokesperson announced the agency is collaborating with DRC’s public health ministry to investigate the disease further.