At least 592 cases were reported following the initial alert issued by the health ministry of Congo on October 29. The ministry disclosed that the disease had a fatality rate of 6.25%. A concerning statistic revealed that over half of the recorded deaths involved children under the age of five, who were in a state of severe malnutrition at the time of contracting the disease, as per the World Health Organization. During a press briefing on December 10, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus shared that 10 out of 12 samples taken from patients afflicted with the mysterious illness had tested positive for malaria. However, he mentioned that additional tests were being conducted to rule out other potential diseases.
To address the situation, the Congolese government dispatched a rapid intervention team to the Kwango province, situated 435 miles southeast of the capital city of Kinshasa. The team, comprised of epidemiologists and other medical experts, aimed to identify the disease and implement an appropriate response. Preemptively, government officials had cautioned locals to refrain from coming into contact with individuals infected with the illness or handling the bodies of the deceased.
In recent years, Congo has faced numerous disease outbreaks, such as typhoid, malaria, and anemia. Additionally, the country has been grappling with an outbreak of smallpox, with reports of more than 47,000 suspected cases and over 1,000 suspected deaths from the disease, according to the WHO. The WHO facilitated the distribution of anti-malarial medication at local health centers in Congo, and officials indicated that further medical supplies were scheduled to arrive in the country by the following Wednesday.
Given that it is currently the rainy season in Congo, there is typically an uptick in malaria cases, which will undoubtedly complicate efforts to treat those most vulnerable to the disease.
