DR Congo, over 70 dead from unknown disease. Government 'on alert'

More than 70 people, about half of them children, have died in an epidemic caused by a flu-like illness - currently unknown - that has struck the south-west region of the Democratic Republic of Congo in recent weeks. 'Symptoms are similar to influenza,' reports the African country's Ministry of Health, which revises the toll of suspicious deaths from the first reports of the disease. The age of the deceased is in the 15-18 age group. According to the health authorities, 'more than 300 people have been infected and patients presented symptoms such as fever, headache, runny nose and cough, breathing difficulties and anaemia', reports the BBC. The WHO has sent a team of experts to assess the situation, which the local authorities describe as worrying.

Response teams in the areas affected by the epidemic have also been sent by the National Institute of Public Health (NSP) and the Congo's Operational Centre for Public Health Emergencies (Cousp). The objective is 'the immediate treatment of reported cases,' reports a note from the Ministry of Health, 'to take samples from patients for laboratory analysis, and to conduct in-depth field investigations to identify the nature of the disease. The results of the laboratory analyses will be communicated as soon as they are available and regular updates will be given to the population'.

During a press point, theMinister of Health of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Roger Kamba, said that the government is 'on alert' regarding the unknown disease, which is particularly widespread among communities in Kwango province. Currently, '71 deaths are confirmed, including 27 people who died in hospitals and 44 in the community in the southern province of Kwango,' Kamba pointed out. "With respect to the victims in hospitals, 10 died from lack of blood transfusions and 17 from respiratory problems," he added.

The deaths were recorded between 10 and 25 November in the Panzi health zone in Kwango province. According to the minister, 'a total of about 380 cases' of this unknown disease occurred, 'almost half of which involved children under the age of five'. The symptoms are fever, headache, cough and anaemia. Kamba said that 'epidemiologists were sent to take samples and investigate the disease'. Kamba admitted that 'the health system is quite weak in our rural areas', but the ministry is 'waiting for the first results of the sample analysis to properly calibrate strategies'. On the possibility that there may be other outbreaks, Congo's health minister did not confirm.

'In Congo there has recently been an epidemic of Mpox, that of clade II, which is the most aggressive variant, so in some ways it is a country that is a Pandora's box in terms of viruses, bacteriological and parasitological problems in general'. Thus the infectiologist Matteo Bassetti, speaking on the disease - at the moment unknown - that is affecting the Democratic Republic of Congo. 'There are all the characteristics for a small problem to become a big problem,' the expert continues, 'there is an inadequate health system due to the crowded cities and people still live in an absolutely inadequate condition, so,' Bassetti concludes, 'it is clear that any type of micro-organism, any type of new infection there finds very fertile ground.