The World Health Organization is deploying a team of experts to help local health authorities investigate a mysterious, flu-like disease that has infected nearly 400 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo in Africa.
The team comprises epidemiologists, clinicians, laboratory technicians, infection prevention and control specialists and risk communications experts, according to a WHO statement.
Although much more needs to be learned, the outbreak is extremely concerning, said Lawrence Gostin, a longtime global health expert and faculty director of the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University.
“We don’t want to press the panic button until we see what we’re dealing with, but it’s something the world has to pay close attention to because if it is a novel, highly transmissible influenza, it’ll spread around the world extremely rapidly,” he said.
The cases are centered in the country’s southwestern province of Kwango, in the Panzi health zone. While the WHO said 30 people reportedly died from the disease, local authorities told Reuters 143 people succumbed to the illness, since late October.
Symptoms of the disease so far include headaches, cough, fever, breathing difficulties and anemia, the WHO said. Reuters reported that it appears to most seriously affect women and children, particularly those over 15.
Gostin said he is particularly concerned that the infections seem to be striking people in the prime of life, as opposed to the very young or very old, who are the more typical victims of flu.
“It’s mysterious, because this is just not an event that we see,” he said.
He’s also concerned because the disease appears to be spreading rapidly from person-to-person. Other highly lethal influenza viruses, like bird flu, have not spread easily. “It makes it very worrying,” he said.
Plus, the Democratic Republic of Congo has a very weak health system and remains torn by civil war, with a population that doesn’t trust mainstream medicine or western doctors, Gostin said.
“Getting resources there to put out the flames is going to be very hard,” he said. “It’s a toxic brew.”
The team of WHO experts is working to rule out respiratory pathogens such as influenza or COVID-19, as well as other causes like malaria and measles. Local WHO investigators have been in the area since the end of November working alongside the country’s health authorities to identify cases.
The WHO reinforcements will focus on strengthening the outbreak response, which includes collecting samples, finding active cases, treating patients and enhancing public awareness, the agency said. They will also deliver essential medicines and diagnostic tests.
“Our priority is to provide effective support to the affected families and communities,” said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa. “All efforts are underway to identify the cause of the illness, understand its modes of transmission and ensure appropriate response as swiftly as possible.”
Panzi is a rural community over 400 miles from Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The WHO says access by road is difficult and communication is limited.
“The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is aware of reports of an illness in southwest DRC,” agency spokesman David Daigle said in an email to USA TODAY. “U.S. Government staff, including those from U.S. CDC’s country office in Kinshasa, are in contact with DRC’s Ministry of Health and stand ready to provide additional support if needed.”
As authorities race to identify the disease, the research center has been combating another infectious outbreak: mpox. In 2023, the country reported more than 14,000 mpox cases and 650 deaths, the highest recorded figures in the WHO African region, according to the agency.
As of May 2024, the country reported nearly 8,000 cases and more than 380 deaths from mpox.
Contributing, Karen Weintraub, USA TODAY
Adrianna Rodriguez can be reached at adrodriguez@usatoday.com.
(This story has been updated to include new information.)
