Congo’s Kinshasa (AP) According to a statement released by the World Health Organization on Friday, specialists will be sent to look into the mystery flu-like disease that has killed dozens of people in southwest Congo in recent weeks.
WHO Regional Director for Africa Dr. Matshidiso Moeti stated in a statement that every effort is being made to determine the etiology of the disease, comprehend its modes of transmission, and guarantee a suitable response as soon as feasible.
Fever, headache, cough, and anemia are some of the symptoms. The National Rapid Response Team’s epidemiological specialists are in the area to collect samples and look into the illness.
Health Minister Roger Kamba said Thursday that authorities in Congo have recorded 71 deaths to date, including 44 in the community and 27 in hospitals in the southern province of Kwango.
The deaths occurred in Kwango province’s Panzi health zone between November 10 and November 25. According to the minister, over half of the approximately 380 incidents involved youngsters under the age of five.
With 376 cases and 79 fatalities, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported somewhat different figures. Jean Kaseya, head of the Africa CDC, said the disparity was due to issues with case definition and surveillance.
We believe it to be a respiratory condition based on preliminary diagnoses, Kaseya stated. However, we must wait for the lab findings.
Accessing the Panzi health zone is challenging due to its rural location in Kwango province, some 435 miles (700 kilometers) from the capital Kinshasa.
According to Congo’s health minister, the epidemiological experts arrived after two days of travel. Dieudonn Mwamba, the director of the National Institute for Public Health, stated that samples had to be transported to Kikwit, which is over 500 kilometers distant, due to a shortage of testing capability.
Panzi was already a vulnerable area, according to Mwamba, with 40% of its citizens suffering from starvation. Two years ago, it also saw a typhoid fever outbreak, and the country is currently experiencing a recurrence of seasonal flu.
Oscar Kazwa, a Panzi resident, reported that his daughter, 28, passed away from the unexplained illness two weeks ago.
She was quite weak, coughed, vomited, and had a high fever. “Kazwa said.” She passed away because there was insufficient attention.
To aid in the outbreak response, WHO specialists are joining the National Rapid Response Team in Panzi. To aid in determining the disease’s cause, the team—which consists of clinicians and epidemiologists—will give sample kits and medications. Additionally, it will work with local leaders to improve surveillance and encourage infection control.
According to a statement from the agency, a local WHO team has been assisting Kwango’s health authorities with illness surveillance since late November.
The WHO added in its statement on Friday that the sickness has been reported in seven of the 30 health zones in Kwango province, however Kamba claimed he was not aware of any reports of the disease in any other health zones than Panzi.
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