A mysterious disease has killed 143 people in the Kwango province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in November, local authorities confirmed. Infected individuals exhibited flu-like symptoms, including high fever and severe headaches, according to Remy Saki, deputy governor of Kwango, and Apollinaire Yumba, the provincial health minister.
Medical teams have been dispatched to the Panzi health zone to collect samples and conduct tests to identify the disease. The situation is growing increasingly dire, as the number of cases continues to rise. Cephorien Manzanza, a civil society leader, highlighted the challenges of providing adequate care in the rural region, where medicine supplies are scarce.
Many sick individuals are dying at home due to a lack of treatment, with women and children being the most affected, said a local epidemiologist. The World Health Organization (WHO) was alerted to the outbreak last week and is working in collaboration with Congo’s public health ministry to investigate further.
