Jakarta – The World Health Organization (WHO) has deployed a team of experts to assist local health authorities in investigating a mysterious flu-like illness. The disease has reportedly infected nearly 400 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Africa.
The team consists of epidemiologists, clinical doctors, laboratory technicians, infection prevention and control specialists, and risk communication experts, according to a statement from the WHO.
“While there is still much to be learned, this outbreak is very concerning,” said Lawrence Gostin, a global health expert and director of the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University.
“We do not want to hit the panic button until we understand what we are dealing with, but this is something the world needs to pay close attention to because if this is a new type of flu that is highly contagious, it will spread globally very quickly,” he said, as quoted by USA Today.
The cases are concentrated in the Kwango province in the southwest of the country, in the Panzi health zone. While the WHO reported that 30 people have died from the illness, the latest data on Thursday (6/12/2024) from DRC authorities confirmed 71 deaths, including 27 people who died in hospitals and 44 in the community in the southern Kwango province.
The deaths occurred between November 10 and November 25 in the Panzi health zone in Kwango province. There are about 380 cases, nearly half of which are children under 5 years old, according to the minister.
The symptoms of the illness so far include headaches, coughing, fever, difficulty breathing, and anemia, the WHO said. Reuters reported that the disease seems to primarily affect women and children, especially those aged over 15.
Gostin expressed deep concern because the infection appears to be affecting people in their productive years, rather than the very young or elderly, who are the usual victims of the flu.
“This is mysterious because this is not an event we are used to seeing,” he said.
He is also worried because the disease seems to spread quickly from person to person. Other highly deadly influenza viruses, like bird flu, do not spread easily. “That makes it very concerning,” he added.
Moreover, the DRC has a very weak healthcare system and is still ravaged by civil war, with a population that does not trust mainstream medicine or Western doctors.
“Getting resources there to put out the fire will be very difficult,” he said. “It is a toxic mix.”
The WHO expert team is currently working to rule out respiratory pathogens like influenza or COVID-19, as well as other causes such as malaria and measles. Local WHO investigators have been in the area since late November, working with the country’s health authorities to…
