The Minister of Health of Congo said this Thursday, December 5, that the government is on alert for a mysterious flu-like illness which in recent weeks has killed dozens of people, of which almost half were children.
At the moment, the authorities have confirmed 71 deathsincluding 27 people who died in hospitals and another 44 in a community in the province of Kwango, in the south of the country, explained Roger Kamba.
“The Congolese government is on general alert regarding this disease,” said the minister, who did not offer further details.
Of the victims admitted to hospitals, 10 died due to lack of blood transfusions and 17 as a result of respiratory problems, Kamba added.
Symptoms of the disease include fever, headache, cough and anemia, according to the authorities. Epidemiological experts traveled to the region to take samples and investigate the disease, the minister said.
Congo is already suffering from a monkeypox epidemic, with more than 47,000 suspected cases and more than a thousand suspected deaths due to the disease in the Central African country, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
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