The Democratic Republic of Congo’s Health Ministry has identified a mystery illness in Kwango province as a severe form of malaria presenting as a respiratory illness. This announcement confirms the suspicions of WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus who recently revealed that early samples from people infected with the illness tested positive for malaria. The outbreak, which claimed 143 lives in November alone, caused symptoms such as fever, headache, cough, and body aches. Authorities attribute the severity to widespread malnutrition, which has weakened the local population’s immunity. Since October, 592 cases have been reported in the Panzi health zone, with a fatality rate of 6.2%. Efforts, including the distribution of anti-malaria medication supplied by the World Health Organization (WHO), are ongoing to combat the outbreak. The WHO will also provide additional medical kits for moderate and severe cases, which are expected to arrive shortly.
SOURCE: VOA NEWS
