Laboratory results on the mysterious outbreak in the DR Congo are expected soon

Results of laboratory tests on samples from patients with flu-like symptoms in an unknown disease outbreak in a remote part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are expected within the next 24 to 48 hours, an official from the country’s health ministry said today.

Dieudonne Mwamba, MD, PhD, Director General of the National Institute of Public Health in the Ministry of Health of the Democratic Republic of Congo, said during a press conference by the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) that the outbreak began on October 24 in the Panzi Health Zone began in a remote, inland area of ​​Kwango Province, located in the southwest of the Democratic Republic of Congo, about 400 miles from Kinshasa, the country’s capital. Africa CDC officials said they would send a team to the region that includes infection prevention and control experts and epidemiologists.

Mwamba said national authorities only learned of the outbreak in early December – six weeks later – and that officials launched emergency measures in response. The Democratic Republic of Congo is struggling with multiple disease outbreaks and is the epicenter of Mpox outbreaks in Africa.

Flu-like symptoms include fever, headache, cough, difficulty breathing and anemia. According to the Africa CDC, 376 cases have been reported so far, 79 of which were fatal.

Most cases involve deaths in young children

Mwamba said the most affected group was children under five, who accounted for just over half of the cases and the majority of deaths. The second most commonly affected group is adults over 25 years of age.

Mwamba said there was no testing capacity available in the Panzi Health Zone and five patient samples were sent to a laboratory about 300 miles away for testing in Kikwit, the largest city in neighboring Kwilu province. He said results should be available within 48 hours.

The disease appears to be an airborne disease based on respiratory symptoms, he said. It’s not clear yet whether the illness is new or something that officials know about has been circulating before. He noted that there was a typhoid outbreak in the same area two years ago.

Kaseya said officials hoped the quality of the samples would be sufficient for testing. Officials cannot speculate about the cause of the outbreak for now, he added. “We let science guide us.”