Mysterious disease in DRC is severe malaria, health authorities say
Al Jazeera
Health authorities said the disease presents in the form of a respiratory illness.
A previously unknown disease making the rounds in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is a severe form of malaria, the country’s health ministry has announced.
Health authorities on Tuesday said the disease, circulating in the southwestern Kwango province, presents in the form of a respiratory illness.
Earlier this month, local authorities said the disease had killed 143 people in the country’s Panzi health zone in November, as fears surmounted about the mysterious illness.
“The mystery has finally been solved. It’s a case of severe malaria in the form of a respiratory illness,” the Ministry of Public Health said in a statement, adding that malnutrition in the area had weakened the local population, leaving them more vulnerable to disease.
The statement said that 592 cases had been reported since October, with a fatality rate of 6.2 percent.
