KIGALI, Rwanda
Health authorities in northwest Democratic Republic of Congo are observing a relief among patients after treating symptoms of a mysterious disease that has killed dozens of individuals and sickened many others since its outbreak this year in the Equateur province, an official said on Friday.
Melanie Elambo, Congo’s provincial minister in charge of health in Equateur, said the World Health Organization (WHO) has provided medicine support to the government.
“As investigations to determine the cause of the mysterious illness continue, these medicines are used in symptomatic treatments. Health personnel are treating signs of malaria, including fever, headache, cases of diarrhea and vomiting for which an appropriate medicine is administered. We are observing relief from the various cases so far,” Elambo told Anadolu.
In a statement Thursday, the WHO said since the disease outbreak this year over 1,000 people have fallen sick and 60 others died in Basankusu and Bolomba health zones in Equateur.
At least 158 cases and 58 deaths were reported earlier in February in the Basankusu health zone, according to the WHO, while in January, Bolamba health zone reported 12 people who fell ill and eight deaths.
Basankusu and Bolomba are about 180 kilometers (111 miles) apart and more than 300 kilometers (186 miles) from the provincial capital Mbandaka.
Elambo added that a national rapid response team along with WHO health emergency experts are working around the clock in the two health zones to carry out investigations.
The disease presents symptoms including fever, headache, chills, sweating, stiff neck, muscle aches, a runny or bleeding from nose, and cough.
The UN public health agency said authorities have ruled out Ebola and Marburg virus after initial laboratory analysis turned out negative, but about half of the samples tested positive for malaria, which is common in the region.
