Mystery flu-like disease in Congo kills dozens, puts authorities “on general alert” as cases are investigated

Kinshasa, Congo – Congo's health minister said on Thursday that the country's government had been alerted to a mysterious flu-like disease that has killed dozens of people in recent weeks, and nearly half of them were children. Authorities have so far confirmed 71 deaths, including 27 people who died in hospitals and 44 in the community in the southern province of Kwango, said health minister Roger Kamba.

“The Congolese government is on general alert regarding this disease,” Kamba said, without giving more details.

Of the victims who were hospitalized, 10 died due to lack of blood transfusion and 17 due to respiratory problems, Kamba said.

Authorities have said that symptoms of the illness include fever, headache, cough and anemia. Epidemiological experts were in the area to take samples and analyze the disease, the health minister said.

Congo already is ravaged by the mpox epidemicwith more than 47,000 suspected cases and more than 1,000 suspected deaths from the disease in the Central African country, according to the World Health Organization.

Authorities in the country he started vaccinating people against mpox in October, almost two months after the revolution spread from the Congo to several African countries and beyond has been declared a global emergency by the World Health Organization.