A mysterious disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo is spreading mainly among children and putting severely malnourished people at risk, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Experts were sent to the region to investigate the outbreak.
In an update published on Sunday evening (8), the WHO said that 406 cases of the unknown disease were recorded between October 24 and December 5, 31 people died.
Symptoms are fever, headache, cough, runny nose and body aches. The disease, the cause of which has not been established, is spreading in the Panzi health zone in Kwango province in southwestern Congo.
All serious cases were reported in severely malnourished people and most reported cases were in children, especially those under five years of age, the WHO said.
“The area is rural and remote, with access made even more difficult by the current rainy season,” added the United Nations (UN) health agency. “These challenges, along with limited diagnostics in the region, have delayed identification of the underlying cause.”
The statement says malaria is common in the area and may contribute to cases. Experts say it is possible that more than one disease is contributing to the cases.
This content was originally published in Unknown disease in Congo puts children and malnourished people at risk, says WHO on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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