Local authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo have reported that 143 individuals in Kwango province, located in the southwest of the country, died during November due to an unidentified “mysterious” illness, according to media reports on Tuesday.
Officials noted that patients displayed flu-like symptoms, including high fever and severe headaches.
Remy Saki, deputy governor of the province, and Apollinaire Yumba, its minister of health said health officials are collecting samples and carrying out an analysis in order to identify the disease behind the outbreak.
The situation is extremely worrying as the number of infected people continues to rise, civil society leader Cephorien Manzanza said.
‘Panzi is a rural health zone, so there is a problem with the supply of medicines.’, he added.
A WHO spokesperson said on Tuesday the UN health agency had been alerted to the presence of the disease last week, and it was working alongside Congo’s public health ministry to make further investigations.
