WHO experts have rushed to a remote African region to figure out what’s the disease that is making people sick and killed dozens till now.
As most of the global focus remains on conflicts in the Middle East , a mysterious epidemic-like disease has killed dozens of people in a remote part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, putting health experts on the edge as the world still reels under the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
“The cause isn't known, the symptoms are vague, and the high numbers of people affected in such a short span of time plus fatalities are concerning as they don't fit the expected pattern of usual diseases endemic in that area,” says Andrew Lee, the professor of public health at the University of Sheffield.
While WHO has put the death toll at 31, DRC health officials say that between 67 and 143 people might have died.such deadly outbreaks occur several times a year in different parts of the world and are almost all linked to known infections with little concern for global spread.DRC’s health ministry has reported that the mysterious illness has flu-like symptoms, including high fever, headaches, and anemia.
Lack of well-equipped labs is a major issue in DRC and other low-income countries, delaying the process of identifying the pathogen and adding to the confusion. The teams in Kikwit and Kinshasa, two of the biggest cities in DRC, are working hard to identify the pathogen, she tellsSpecialised labs with the kits and equipment for gene sequencing are essential to identify such diseases, says Lee of the University of Sheffield.
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