DRC - Kwango: At least 37 confirmed deaths due to epidemics of undiagnosed origin reported in Panzi - November 30, 2024+ - malaria, H1N1pdm09 influenza confirmed

[Treyfish]

Kwango: 592 cases and 37 deaths due to febrile illness of unknown origin (Minister of Public Health)

December 22, 2024

Kinshasa, December 22, 2024 (ACP).- The Democratic Republic of Congo has already recorded in the 50th week 592 notified cases and 37 deaths due to the febrile disease of unknown origin which is raging in the province of Kwango, southwest of the country, according to the Minutes of the 27th meeting of the Council of Ministers, consulted Sunday by the ACP.
"Finally, as for the febrile illness of unknown origin which is raging in the province of Kwango, the country has recorded to date 592 reported cases and 37 deaths ," we read.
According to the source, the Minister of Public Health, Hygiene and Social Security presented the report on the epidemiological situation of this disease, whose laboratory analyses showed that it is a flu including the Influenza AHINlpdm09 virus, with a prevalence of 28%...

https://acp.cd/sante/kwango-592-cas-et-37-deces-dus-a-la-maladie-febrile-dorigine-inconnue-ministre-de-la-sante-publique/

[Pathfinder]

Translation Google

DRC: Unidentified and deadly disease may be linked to influenza (official)

French.news.cn | 2024-12-21 at 08:37

KINSHASA, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The fever of unknown origin that is raging in a southwestern province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is believed to be linked to influenza, the Congolese government announced Friday evening.

"This is therefore a flu that has been formally identified," said Patrick Muyaya, government spokesman, at the end of the cabinet meeting held earlier in the day in Kinshasa, the capital. During the meeting, the Minister of Public Health Roger Kamba gave an update on this disease reported in the province of Kwango, with 592 cases reported.

According to laboratory analysts, the prevalence of the influenza virus is 28%, the minister said, specifying a "significant presence" of rhinovirus and SARS-COV-2 in the samples. His ministry did not respond to requests for clarification on this subject.

The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) leadership reported 37 deaths, mostly children under five, saying there are two hypotheses for the unidentified disease.

The first hypothesis suggests malaria aggravated by malnutrition and a viral infection, while the second suggests a viral infection occurring at the same time as malaria and malnutrition, Ngashi Ngongo, chief of staff of the Africa CDC, said Thursday during a press briefing.

According to him, a man died with signs of hemorrhagic fever, with a sample sent to Kinshasa, the country's capital.

The DRC said it was on "maximum alert" in early December in the face of this disease. End

https://french.xinhuanet.com/20241221/015497d73f8648d8811a0ca595e63320/c.html

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DRC: Flu identified as probable cause of mysterious illness

by Charbel LOKOSSOU December 21, 2024 at 9:23 am

A public health mystery seems to be resolved in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The disease that has caused panic in the Kwango province, characterized by fever, cough and mainly affecting children, is in reality linked to influenza.

This announcement was made by the Congolese government at the end of the council of ministers. Patrick Muyaya , government spokesman, declared: "This is therefore a flu that has been formally identified."

DRC faces a complex epidemic

However, the situation is more complex than just seasonal flu. Laboratory tests have revealed co-infection with other viruses, including rhinovirus and SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19. Roger Kamba , Minister of Public Health in the DRC , highlighted the “significant presence” of these viruses in the samples.

This co-infection could explain the severity of the disease in some patients, particularly children. Ngashi Ngongo , chief of staff of the Africa CDC, mentioned two hypotheses: malaria aggravated by a viral infection or a viral infection occurring at the same time as malaria and malnutrition.

Although influenza appears to be the main culprit, the situation remains under surveillance. The Congolese government has put in place measures to contain the epidemic and strengthen epidemiological surveillance.

Patrick Muyaya assured that the government is "closely monitoring the situation" and that all necessary measures are being taken to protect the population.

https://www.afrique-sur7.fr/rdc-grippe-identifiee-comme-cause-probable-de-la-maladie-mysterieuse

[Pathfinder]

Some excerpts from the question period:
(Typos possible)

... What made people sound the alarm given that the symptom looks very similar to malaria. Is it unusual deaths or something slightly different in the cases manifestation?

Dr Ngashi Ngon: to Carry's question about what was the trigger, the trigger was the high case fatality rate... 6.2% CFR...

...
Question from Gabriel Emanuel from NPR:... I am curious about the situation in Panzy and my understanding, I spoke to one scientist who said many people actually have the malaria parasite in their blood because it's just so common in the area such as a positive malaria test might not be what is causing them to get sick so I was wondering if there have been other diseases that have been eliminated from the differential of what can be causing this outbreak...

Dr Ngashi Ngon: ... the point she made with malaria is the reason why the second hypothesis now weights on a viral disease which is happening in the background of malaria because malaria is endemic in the area and also malnutrition and that is also where in the discover of this new case of hemorrhagic syndrome might also be pointing towards that hypothesis ...we are also exploring other things...we are hoping that in the next one week we should be able to get at least the initial results...
...
Dr Ngashi Ngon: ...about the case of hemorrhagic fever, we received the message that was forwarded to us this morning which just said that an adult male just died of a hemorrhagic fever syndrome. Since it came this morning, it means that it is something that just happened over the last 2 to 3 days, but what we hear also is that the sample has already been collected and it has been sent to Kinshasa. It is on its way to Kinshasa. It's a very recent case.

[Pathfinder]

SPECIAL BRIEFING ON MPOX || DEC. 19, 2024

Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention
...

Screenshots from the video:

[Treyfish]

....."The mystery has finally been solved. It's a case of severe malaria in the form of a respiratory illness," the health ministry said in a statement, adding malnutrition in the area had weakened the local population, leaving them more vulnerable to disease.

The statement also said that 592 cases had been reported since October, with a fatality rate of 6.2%.

Provincial health minister, Apollinaire Yumba, told Reuters that anti-malaria medicine provided by the World Health Organization was being distributed in the main hospital and health centers in the the Panzi health zone.

A WHO spokesperson said more health kits for moderate and critical cases were due to arrive on Wednesday.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said last week that 10 early samples from patients in Congo suffering from a mystery illness had tested positive for malaria, but that he had not not ruled out the possibility that they suffered from other concurrent diseases. (Reporting by Yassin Kombi; Additional reporting by Sonia Rolley and Ange Kasongo; Writing by Anait Miridzhanian Editing by Bate Felix and Alex Richardson)

https://www.newsmax.com/health/health-news/congo-disease-deaths/2024/12/17/id/1191950/

[alert]

Malaria might absolutely be the cause of the undiagnosed fatalities, but it's not the cause of the respiratory symptoms.

Given the surge in seasonal flu in Kinshasa, I'd assume that's what's going on here as well, but it's possible that something like RSV might also be in play.

I wonder if the unusual way of describing this is intended for the local audience and not the international community or Flublogia: Malaria kills, but influenza (or RSV or Mycoplasma or...) doesn't generally, so they're intentionally only mentioning the threat that they can and must deal with. It doesn't really matter to the affected community what's making people cough...it matters what's killing them.

[Treyfish]

.....In an emailed statement to USA TODAY, the World Health Organization said it hasn't conclusively determined the cause of the illness yet and lab testing is ongoing.....
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...a/77044559007/

[Treyfish]

sounds like crap to me.

Congo’s health ministry says unknown disease is severe malaria

Reuters
-17 Dec 2024, 11:05 PM
The previously unidentified illness killed 143 people in the southwestern Kwango province. LUBUMBASHI: Democratic Republic of Congo’s health ministry said today that a previously unidentified disease circulating in the country’s Panzi health zone is a severe form of malaria.

Earlier this month, local authorities said the disease had killed 143 people in the southwestern Kwango province in November.
“The mystery has finally been solved. It’s a case of severe malaria in the form of a respiratory illness … and weakened by malnutrition,” the health ministry said in a statement.

It also said that 592 cases had been reported since October 2020 with a fatality rate of 6.2%.

https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/ca...evere-malaria/

[Treyfish]

Looking for a link

Disease in remote area of DR Congo officially identified as severe form of malaria, health ministry says - Reuters

[Pathfinder]

OMS RDC@OMSRDCONGO

Translation Google

#Panzi 's undiagnosed disease 🇨🇩. @WHO & @MinSanteDRC work in a deep spirit of close collaboration. Our workers have taken new samples from around fifty cases at the General Reference Hospital & in Tsakalapanzi, sent to @inrb_kinshasa


...

In total, our teams have already collected more than 345 samples from 83 cases, including nasal, urine, stool, breast milk, blood culture, whole blood, oropharyngeal swabs. All these samples are carefully packaged to ensure their integrity.





8:58 AM · Dec 13, 2024

[Treyfish]

Health: Al Jazeera, 'Congo disease could be zoonotic in origin'


December 13, 2024

Kinshasa, Dec. 13 (Adnkronos) – The mysterious disease circulating in the Democratic Republic of Congo could be zoonotic in origin. A health expert from the African country told Al Jazeera on condition of anonymity. Although national and global health bodies have not announced any link with animals, the expert said that “most of the people I have personally interviewed admit to having been in contact with some wild animals a few days before getting sick”. To be safe, he added, people should be advised to reduce contact with wild animals.


https://laragione.eu/adnkronos/news/...ine-zoonotica/

[Treyfish]

The unknown disease, which is raging in the Panzi health zone in the Kwango province, is already spreading to other neighboring health zones, including Kitenda, the administrator of the Kasongo-Lunda territory warned on Tuesday, December 10.
" We are really sorry about this disease, which is raging in the Panzi health zone (...) There are still many deaths already and many cases. The concern is also that the disease will spread to other health zones. There is the health zone of Kitenda, Kazembe and Mwaningita, where there are also a few cases ," declared the administrator of the Kasongolunda territory, Arsène Kukangidila.

https://www.radiookapi.net/2024/12/1...ones-du-kwango

[Pathfinder]

OMS RDC
@OMSRDCONGO

Translation Google

In #Panzi, we are strengthening the skills of community animators & relays, nurses from the villages of Tsakalapanzi & Kanzangi in order to carry out in-depth investigations and active search for cases & deaths of undiagnosed disease in the community.






7:49 AM · Dec 13, 2024

[Treyfish]

European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control Reports an Outbreak of an Unknown Origin in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

On 4 December 2024, the public health authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo issued a press release about a reported outbreak of unknown origin in the Panzi health zone, Kwango province.

According to the press release, since 24 October 376 people have been affected with 79 deaths, mainly affecting children. The signs and symptoms reported include fever, headaches, cough, dyspnoea, anaemia, and rhinorrhoea.

Currently, the health authorities in the DRC are investigating the outbreak. The Ministry of Health has issued preliminary recommendations to the affected population: avoid mass gatherings, report suspected cases through a hotline, and practice proper hand hygiene.

Assessment and Actions

Given that the cause of the disease remains unknown, the ECDC states that it is currently impossible to assess the risk posed by the outbreak to the European Union/European Economic Area countries. The ECDC continues to monitor the situation and maintains contact with African health authorities.

The National Public Health Centre is closely monitoring updates from the ECDC regarding the outbreak and will promptly inform the Lithuanian public if new information about potential impacts or risks to European countries emerges.



Last updated: 12-12-2024

https://nvsc.lrv.lt/en/naujienos/european-centre-for-disease-prevention-and-control-reports-an-outbreak-of-an-unknown-origin-in-the-democratic-republic-of-the-congo/

[Treyfish]

Fears in DRC as mystery disease kills dozens, mainly children


More than 500 cases of an unknown illness have emerged in rural and remote Panzi in western Democratic Republic of the Congo.


…….
The WHO said limited diagnostics in the region have delayed the identification of the underlying cause of the outbreak. However it added that its teams were helping with patient treatment, risk communication and engagement with the community as the health crisis continued.

Meanwhile, on the ground, medics say there are huge difficulties in caring for patients who are bedridden at Panzi hospital.

“We don’t have resuscitation kits such as oxygen condensers, we don’t have treatment centres and isolation facilities, and we don’t even have electricity; [there is] scarcity of communication tools and internet,” Dr Rufin Mukuwa, a doctor at the Panzi general referral hospital, told Al Jazeera. Health experts take samples from people infected by the unknown disease in Panzi, DRC [Supplied] Fears and calls for vigilance


Speaking to Al Jazeera by phone from Kenge, the capital of Kwango province, some residents said they feared the outbreak spreading from remote Panzi into their communities.

“We’re worried that the provincial authorities haven’t taken preventive measures to prevent this disease from spreading to other areas,” resident Emile Yimbu complained.

He called for the reinforcement of epidemiological surveillance measures to contain the disease within a well-defined zone, and lessen its consequences.

Prosper Kiswemba, a local councillor in Kenge, is also worried about how end-of-year travel plans in the region may affect the potential spread of the disease.

Kiswemba said hygienic measures such as temperature sampling and the installation of hand-washing stations along arterial roads leading to Panzi needed to be reinforced, lest the disease spread further.

Meanwhile, one local health expert who spoke to Al Jazeera on condition of anonymity, said they feared the disease may be zoonotic in origin.

Even though national and global health bodies have not announced any animal-related links, the expert said: “Most of the people I’ve interviewed personally admit to having been in contact with certain wild animals a few days before falling ill.”

To be safe, he said people should be cautioned about reducing contact with wild animals……


Read more: https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2...#ixzz8uIRElMal