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Deaths Cases of an as-yet-unidentified disease continue to rise in the southwest of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. There have been 71 confirmed deaths so far, 27 in hospitals and 44 in communities in southern Kwangju province. The World Health Organization (WHO) sent a team of experts into the field to collect samples and conduct laboratory tests in an attempt to identify the pathogen responsible.
Test results should be available either later today or tomorrow, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Africa director Jean Kaseya said at a news conference earlier today Let’s wait for the laboratory results.” 17 of the hospitalized patients due to respiratory problems. Kaseya stressed that there are still many unknowns about the disease, including whether it is contagious and how it is transmitted.About 380 cases are believed to have been identified so far, almost half of which involve children under the age of 5.
People infected with the mystery disease have flu-like symptoms such as coughing, vomiting, “high fever and severe headaches,” said Kwangju Province Deputy Governor Remy Saki and DRC Provincial Health Minister Apoliner Yumba. Reuters:. It’s the authorities urging the citizens be careful and avoid contact with dead bodies to avoid possible infection. The number of infected, however, continues to rise, as does the level of alarm.
This area of the DRC is extremely fragile from a health perspective, with 40 percent of residents suffering from malnutrition and access to medical care difficult for many as medicine is in short supply. which the WHO declared a public health emergency of international concern in August.
This story originally appeared on WIRED Italia: and translated from the Italian.
