Initial test results from samples patients in an unexplained illness outbreak in a remote part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) found malaria from several samples, though it's possible that more than one disease in involved, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said today at a briefing in Geneva.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD, said that, of 12 samples, 10 were positive for malaria. He added that more samples will be collected and tested to determine the exact cause or causes.
Major difficulties with access, communication
So far, 416 cases and 31 deaths have been reported in Panzi health district, a remote region in southwestern DRC, located about 425 miles from Kinshasa. Most cases involve children younger than 14 years old.
A national expert team arrived today after a several-day trip to assist a Kwango province team that has been on the ground since November 30, Tedros said. Telecommunications in the area are severely limited, and difficult access to the outbreak region has been made worse by the rainy season.
The area also suffers from high levels of malnutrition and low vaccination coverage, leaving children vulnerable.
"The area also suffers from high levels of malnutrition and low vaccination coverage, leaving children vulnerable to a range of diseases including malaria, pneumonia, measles and others," he said.
No explosive growth in cases, deaths
Abdi Mahamud, MD, interim director of alert and response coordination for the WHO, said malaria is endemic in the area and the rainy season has come with an increase in respiratory diseases within expected levels. For example, he said Kinshasa is seeing a rise in flu and COVID activity.
He said the epidemiologic data don't show an explosive increase in cases or deaths. He added, however, that the high infant mortality shows that the issue needs to be addressed in Panzi and other vulnerable regions.
Mike Ryan, MD, who leads the WHO's health emergencies program, praised DRC health officials for their work on the outbreak. Officials recognized that the cluster was unusual enough to report to the WHO, he said. "This is a sign of a system working, even in an extreme environment."
This is a sign of a system working, even in an extreme environment.
He also said officials are working with the US government to set up an airlift into an airport that is 150 km (93 miles) from Panzi.
