An outbreak of a mysterious disease dubbed “Disease X” has killed dozens of people in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), health authorities have announced.
The country’s deputy governor, Remy Psaki, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that up to 143 people had died from the infection.
The deaths occurred between November 10 and November 25 in Panji Health District, Kwango Province, the Associated Press reported this week.
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Main symptoms include fever, headache, cough, and difficulty breathing.
Most of those affected are children under the age of five.
An outbreak of a mysterious disease dubbed “Disease X” has killed dozens of people in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), health authorities have announced. (St. Petersburg)
“With the Public Health Emergency Operations Center and the INSP (National Institute of Public Health) in maximum alert mode, we have already deployed central-level teams and will depart within 24 hours to join (local) health services. ‘zone,’ INSP Director-General Dr. Dieudonné Mwamba said in French at a press conference on Thursday.
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DRC Health Minister Apollinaire Yumba urged residents to take precautions to prevent infection and avoid contact with corpses, according to the Associated Press.
The government has also requested the provision of medical supplies.
“Because the disease is still unknown, medicines and medical supplies are in short supply.”
The first case of Disease X was reportedly reported on October 24, but health authorities were not notified until December 1.
Jean Kaseya, director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said at a news conference Thursday.
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“There’s almost a five-to-six week delay, and so many things can happen within five to six weeks,” Kaseya said.
“Continuous testing helps us understand what’s going wrong.”
The country’s deputy governor, Remy Psaki, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that up to 143 people had died from the infection. (St. Petersburg)
Lucien Luhutu, a Panji resident and chairman of the Kwango Civil Society Consultative Framework, told The Associated Press that local hospitals are not equipped to treat the influx of sick patients.
“Because the disease is still unknown, medicines and medical supplies are in short supply, and most of the population is treated by traditional practitioners,” he said.
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The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) told FOX News Digital that it is aware of reports of the disease in the southwestern Democratic Republic of Congo.
“U.S. government officials, including those from the U.S. CDC country office in Kinshasa, are in contact with the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ministry of Health and stand ready to provide additional assistance as needed,” the spokesperson said. Ta.
The first case of Disease X was reportedly reported on October 24, but health authorities were not notified until December 1. (St. Petersburg)
Congo is already grappling with ongoing outbreaks of mpox, a viral disease caused by orthopoxviruses. A global state of emergency was declared in August.
Health authorities have reported 200 to 300 confirmed cases of mpox every week in recent weeks, according to data from the World Health Organization (WHO).
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Fox News Digital also reached out to the Africa CDC and WHO for additional comment.
