The ministry of Health in the Democratic Republic of Congo has revealed that an unknown disease that had killed close to 150 people in the Southwestern Kwango province in November is a severe form of Malaria that is present in the form of a respiratory illness. The health authorities stated in a statement on Tuesday, Dec. 17.
A previously unidentified disease propagating in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s ( DRC) South West Kwango province in the Panzi Health zone in November is a severe form of malaria, stated the Health ministry on Tuesday.
According to local authorities in the statement the disease had killed over 140 people in the affected province earlier this month with its symptoms outlined as fever, headache, cough, runny nose and body aches.
The statement read « the mystery has finally been solved. It is a case of severe malaria in the form of a respiratory illness » calling on the populace to take care of themselves as malnutrition had weakened the masses leaving them more vulnerable to disease.
It added that over 590 cases had been reported since October this year accounting for a fatality rate of 6.2%. Reports of the ‘mystery disease’ had sparked an alarm and prompted the World Health Organization ( WHO) to dispatch a team of medical investigators to the remote province.
While the WHO cited low vaccination coverage and very limited access to diagnostics and quality case management, officials stressed high levels of food security and malnutrition in the area we’re likely to exacerbate the impact of known illnesses like malaria. A spokesperson from the international health body said health kits for moderate and critical cases were due on Wednesday.
Malaria kills almost 600,000 people yearly around the globe of which 12% of those deaths occur in the DRC.
