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DRC: Two students die of unidentified disease - polio suspected

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Senior Moderator
Hat-tip Pathfinder.

http://www.digitalcongo.net/article/74010

French to English translation
Acute flaccid paralysis at the bedside of Kinshasa: 2 students die in the municipality of N'Djili
Kinshasa, 26/02/2011 / Health
Acute flaccid paralysis, a very advanced form of polio has taken up residence in Kinshasa, killing two students in a private school in N'Djili.

Two students of a school in Ward 7 of the town of N'Djili died of a disease whose symptoms resemble those of acute flaccid paralysis. Health Zone confirms the existence of an epidemic. A health authority of the DRC to move quickly to reverse the numbers. Two suspicious deaths in the space of a month in a primary school, secondary and vocational N'Djili, namely the Professional Institute Bosembo created panic in the ranks of the school community of this county. Some point to the witchcraft as a probable cause of these deaths.

For, according to testimony gathered there, the two students have shown similar symptoms: paralysis of upper and lower limbs, urinary retention, etc.. The third case of this disease not yet diagnosed, was interned at the Medical Center at Grace Ward 7 in the town of N'Djili. One of the center staff, met last Friday to the office of mayor of N'Djili to convey information to the local authority, has certified the presence of an epidemic. It is probably, "he said, an outbreak of an advanced form of polio.

"We received these cases. Initially, it was not clear exactly what happened. Only after the two deaths and the third case we have confirmed an outbreak. We asked the students not to be in contact with the bodies of people who already have the disease. Unfortunately, excited, all believe that it is witchcraft. Therefore, we have alerted officials to the area of health that they take this situation and alert health authorities of the country. "

Confirmation of local health authorities

Reached by telephone late yesterday afternoon, the director of the health zone N'Djili confirmed the information. "We are really aware of this epidemic. But it's a technical file that I'm limited to give you further explanation. You must see the head doctor of area "And that was it. Person so to this day knows exactly what is happening in this school of common N'Djili located within 100 meters from the town hall.

Still, only two students have already succumbed to this mysterious disease. Another is in hospital. But there are certainly other students who were in contact with the three above, and probably could have symptoms in the coming days. It is therefore urgent to stopgap before the situation reaches alarming proportions.

AN'Djili, we do not yet feel the gravity of the evil that struck the town. Because, to date, everyone hid behind the witchcraft to give an explanation for these die-offs of the Institute Bosembo. However, medical personnel, such as Grace Medical Center, is convinced that this is an epidemic - yet unidentified - but similar to the acute flaccid paralysis.

Is it so that wild poliovirus or acute flaccid paralysis that has recently erupted in the DRC town of Kikwit in Bandundu? It is not far from this possibility. Once eradicated, AFP, an advanced form of polio had reappeared in December 2010 in Kikwit, where it has killed fifteen people.

Until mid-December, 36 cases of acute flaccid paralysis, including fifteen deaths were already registered in Kikwit in Bandundu province. The government had organized a campaign response to the epidemic. But the dead Institute Bosembo N'Djili to prove that the epidemic could eventually reach the city of Kinshasa. The high concentration of population in the communes of the East had to fear the worst and push the authorities to act urgently.

Faustin Kuediasala / Le Potentiel
 
Re: DRC: Two students die of unidentified disease - polio suspected

http://www.promedmail.org/pls/apex/..._BACK_PAGE,F2400_P1001_PUB_MAIL_ID:1000,87299

[1] DR Congo - Kinshasa
Date: 26 Feb 2011
Source: Le Potentiel [trans. Mod.MPP, edited]
<http://www.lepotentiel.com/afficher_article.php?id_article=107136&id_edition=7055>


Two students at a school in Ward 7 in N'Djili town have died of a
disease whose symptoms resemble those of acute flaccid paralysis. The
health authorities in the zone confirmed the existence of an
epidemic. The health authority of the DRC moved quickly to block the spread.

Two suspicious deaths in the space of a month in a school with
primary, secondary and vocational [levels] in N'Djili, namely the
Bosembo Professional Institute, have created panic in the ranks of
the school community of this commune [county]. Some [individuals]
point to witchcraft as a probable cause of these deaths.

According to testimony gathered there, the 2 students have shown
similar symptoms: paralysis of upper and lower limbs, urinary
retention, etc. The 3rd case of this disease, not as yet diagnosed,
was hospitalized at the La Grace Medical Center in Ward 7 in N'Djili.

One of the [medical] center staff met at the office of the N'Djili
mayor on last Friday [25 Feb 2011?] to convey information to the
local authority and has certified the presence of an epidemic. It is
probably an epidemic of an advanced form of poliomyelitis, he said.
"We have received these cases. Initially, it was not clear exactly
what had happened. Only after the 2 deaths and the 3rd case have we
confirmed the existence of an outbreak. We asked the students not to
be in contact with the bodies of people who already have the disease.
Unfortunately, overly excited, they all believe that it is
witchcraft. That is why we have alerted the responsible health
officials of the area so that they are aware of this situation and
will alert the national health authorities."

Reached by telephone late yesterday [25 Feb 2011] afternoon, the
director of the N'Djili health zone confirmed the information. "We
are very aware of this epidemic. But it's in a technical file that
I'm limited to give you further explanation. You must see the medical
director of the health zone." That was all [we learned]. As of today,
no one knows exactly what is going on in the N'Djili school, located
within 100 meters from the town hall.

[At present] only 2 students have succumbed to this mysterious
disease. Another is in a hospital. But there are certainly other
students who were in contact with the 3 above [mentioned cases] and
probably could present with symptoms in the coming days. It is,
therefore, urgent to stop [the outbreak] before the situation reaches
alarming proportions.

In N'Djili, one does not yet feel the gravity of the disease that has
struck the town. That is because, to date, everyone has hidden behind
witchcraft as an explanation for these deaths in the Bosembo
Institute Bosembo. However, medical personnel, such as those in the
Grace Medical Center, are convinced that this is an epidemic -- as
yet unidentified -- but similar to acute flaccid paralysis.

Is it [related to] the wild poliovirus [WPV outbreak] or acute
flaccid paralysis that has recently erupted in the DRC town of
Kikwit, Bandundu?

Once eradicated, acute flaccid paralysis [AFP], an advanced form of
polio, had reappeared in Kikwit in December 2010, where it has caused
the deaths of 15 people.

Up through mid-December [2010], 36 cases of acute flaccid paralysis,
including 15 deaths, were already reported in Kikwit, Bandundu
province. The government had organized a campaign response to the epidemic.

But the deaths at the N'Djili Bosembo Institute show that the
epidemic could eventually reach the city of Kinshasa. The high
concentration of population in the communes to the east [of Kinshasa]
should cause us to fear the worst and push the authorities to act urgently.

[Byline: Faustin Kuediasala]

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>

[One suspects that there will be confirmation of WPV activity in the
above mentioned outbreak in an eastern commune of Kinshasa, given the
above story
. In the presence of a high population movement between
the provinces and Kinshasa and given the known circulation of WPV in
Kikwit, Bandundu province, it would not be surprising to have
introduction of the WPV into the capital region.

Three cases of an AFP illness in a school in several weeks is highly
likely to be due to WPV when transmission has been documented in
geographic areas with likely contact of individuals. Unfortunately,
in many countries where transmission of WPV has been interrupted,
vaccination coverages have been suboptimal following the
certification of polio eradication in the countries, in some because
routine vaccination activities do not provide the same level of
coverage the NIDs (National immunization days) did, in others, where
NIDs continued, the level of effort was reduced due to a combination
of reduced financial support as well as reduced motivation both on
the part of the health sector as well as the part of the population
when polio was no longer seen as a threat.

According to the Polio Eradication Website, there were 10 confirmed
cases of WPV-associated disease reported in the past week (as of 24
Feb 2011), of which all were WPV1. Four of the cases had onset of
disease in 2010, and 6 had onset in 2011. The majority of the cases
were from Bandundu, Katanga and Kinshasa. As of 24 Feb 2011, the
number of confirmed cases in 2011 is 7, and the total number of cases
for 2010 is 100. The most recent confirmed case had onset of
paralysis on [20 Jan 2011], a WPV1 from Bandundu.

Of note, there is mention that "discussions are underway to expand
the age-group of upcoming campaigns in Kinshasa, given the fact that
older-age cases have been identified in this area," (see
<http://www.polioeradication.org/Dataandmonitoring/Poliothisweek.aspx>).
 
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