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In the Democratic Republic of Congo, a mysterious illness has killed a ton of people, particularly women and children — and officials are struggling to get it under control.
As the Associated Press reports, a flu-like disease began spreading in southwestern Congo in November, where affected patients reported anemia, cough, headaches, fever, and trouble breathing.
Rémy Saki, the deputy health minister of the Kwango province where the outbreak is taking place, told the AP that between 67 and 143 have died from the strange illness — though it remains unclear, obviously, what the full death toll is.
“A team of epidemiological experts is expected in the region,” Saki said, “to take samples and identify the problem.”
As Reuters reports, cases continue to rise in the Panzi health zone where the outbreak is taking place.
“Panzi is a rural health zone,” society leader Cephorien Manzanza told Reuters, “so there is a problem with the supply of medicines.”
In a press conference over the weekend, provincial health minister Apollinaire Yumba told reporters that the country is calling on international partners to send medical aid. He also added that people in the affected regions are being advised to not touch the dead so that they can avoid contamination from this unknown disease.
The officials told reporters that people are dying alone at home from the strange illness because they don’t have access to treatment, and that women and children have been most seriously affected by the illness. The World Health Organization, meanwhile, was reportedly alerted to the situation last week.
This outbreak comes at a terrible time for the DRC, which is at the heart of a virulent mpox epidemic and has reported suspected cases of ebola in recent months.
One of the five poorest nations in the world, Congo is often plagued by disease outbreaks because its people lack access to basic medical care.
Nonetheless, it’s jarring that there hasn’t been more immediate aid in this strange respiratory outbreak, given that the world is only now beginning to recoup from the COVID-19 pandemic.
More on outbreaks: Trump’s Health Guy Linked to Measles Outbreak That Killed Dozens of Children