Many children victims

Unknown disease in Congo: more than 130 dead!

At least 67 people have died in the Congo as a result of an as yet unexplained disease (symbolic image).

(Bild: AFP/Guy-Gervais Kitina)

According to health authorities, at least 67 people have died in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the past two weeks as a result of an as yet unexplained disease. Children up to the age of 15 are particularly affected.

Teams of medical experts who have visited the affected villages in the south-west of the country since Tuesday have found two more villages in which at least 60 deaths have been recorded, according to the health minister of Kwango province, Apollinaire Yumba.

Almost 400 people with symptoms
Over the past few days, a team of epidemiologists has traveled to the Panzi region, which is part of Kwango, to help doctors treat the patients and determine what kind of disease they are dealing with. So far, according to Yumba, 382 people have been registered with symptoms of the disease.

Fever, headaches, breathing problems
Little is currently known about the disease, which particularly affects children up to the age of 15. Symptoms include fever, headaches, breathing problems and anemia. In addition to taking samples, the medical experts tried to call on the population to take hygiene and social distancing measures. It is not yet known whether the disease can only be transmitted through physical contact or via other routes.

Great fear of infection
Until researchers can provide results, people in the affected region should observe strict hygiene rules with frequent hand washing, avoidance of large gatherings and social distancing, they said. A doctor in Panzi told the German Press Agency (dpa) that many residents were very scared. Many no longer dared to leave their homes for fear of infection.

The Democratic Republic of Congo is currently also facing other challenges in the health sector: For many months now, the outbreak of the disease Mpox has been putting a strain on medical staff and the few testing laboratories.

More than 47,000 cases of Mpox
More than 47,000 cases have been recorded in the country since the beginning of the year, although only a relatively small number of these have been officially confirmed due to a lack of testing capacity.