Mystery Illness in Congo Likely Malaria, Authorities Suggest

Health officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo are urgently studying a flu-like illness that has killed 31 people in the hospitals and 44 in the community while lab results indicate that it is malaria. The director-general of the National Institute for Biomedical Research, Jean-Jacques Muyembe, said that 9 out of 12 samples were positive for malaria but the quality of the samples needs further clarification.

The outbreak is localized around Panzi the health zone located in Kwango province with majority of the victims under the age of 14 years. WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus added that there may be multiple disease processes, as he called for more testing. It has the problems like lack of local testing capability, areas that are hard to reach, and high levels of malnutrition and low levels of vaccinations among children who are most susceptible to illnesses.

The expressions of the illness are fever, headache, cough, and anemia. People such as Ezekiel Kasongo, who had his 9-year-old son admitted to hospital, know the horror of the outbreak. Health practitioners also remain adamant regarding its nature, while they gather more samples to properly identify the illness.