Mystery illness kills 143 in DR Congo, infected people have flu-like symptoms

An unknown disease has swept the southwestern province of DR Congo, killing as many as 143 people in November.

Local health officials told Reuters that infected people exhibited flu-like symptoms including high fever and severe headaches.

A medical team has been sent to the Panzi health zone to collect samples and carry out an analysis to identify the disease,  Remy Saki, deputy governor of Kwango province, and Apollinaire Yumba, provincial minister of health have said.

Civil society leader Cephorien Manzanza said that the situation on the ground is extremely worrying as the number of infected people is increasing. “Panzi is a rural health zone, so there is a problem with the supply of medicines,” Manzanza said.

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Due to a lack of medical facilities and a dilapidated health infrastructure, infected people are forced to die in their homes.

A local epidemiologist said women and children were the most seriously affected by the disease.

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.

With inputs from Reuters