The last time we check on the status of epidemics in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the country was dealing with a significant outbreak of a virulent strain of monkeypox that is more readily transmissible. at least 18 countries now have reported cases involving this virus, including the US with one case reported in California.
Now a mysterious, flu-like disease has been reported in the Panzi health zone of Kwango province in southwestern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
This unidentified illness has caused significant concern among local and international health authorities, as it is of unknown origin and has already claimed the lives of over 100 people (the majority of who were in their teens).
The health ministry says the majority of people who have died are between the ages of 15 and 18.More than 300 people have been infected with patients exhibiting symptoms like fever, headaches, runny noses and coughs, breathing difficulties and anaemia.Response teams have been sent to Kwango Province, specifically the Panzi health zone, where the disease is most common, to manage cases and investigate the nature of the disease.Cephorien Manzanza, a civil society leader, told Reuters news agency the situation was worrying as the number of infected people continues to rise.”Panzi is a rural health zone, so there is a problem with the supply of medicines,” he said.
Current reports have placed the death toll at 143 and a World Health Organization (WHO) spokesperson indicated that 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. The local office of the Centers for Disease Control and Precention (CDC) is also assisting in the response.
“We have dispatched a team to the remote area to collect samples for lab investigations,” WHO spokesperson Tarik Jašarević said in an email.The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has an office in Congo, said it is aware of the situation and is providing technical assistance to a rapid response team dispatched by a local emergency operations center.
At least there is some good news for the region. It appears the outbreak of the virulent monkeypox virus is “plateauing“.
…[I]n November, WHO noted signs of stabilization in mpox cases in the South Kivu region of the Congo, where a more infectious variant of the virus was first detected.Despite a rise in cases in other areas, WHO reported that the epicenter of the outbreak in South Kivu’s Kamituga gold mining town may be “plateauing.”This variant has affected primarily miners and sex workers since its emergence earlier this year, leading health officials to remain vigilant in their monitoring efforts.Though the trend appears hopeful in South Kivu, WHO acknowledged the limitations in testing and surveillance, making it challenging for researchers to fully understand the virus’s spread and its exact reach.
Hopefully, the new spread of the news disease will not be as wide-ranging as monkeypox has been.
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