Local Health Officials in Congo Declare Flu-Like Outbreak Likely to be Malaria

Congo health officials reported that laboratory results show a flu-like illness that has killed several people in the southwest region might be malaria.

“Of the 12 samples taken, nine were positive for malaria. But these samples were not of very good quality, so we are continuing to research to find out if this is an epidemic,” Dr. Jean-Jacques Muyembe, director-general of the National Institute for Biomedical Research in Kinshasa, told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Despite the bad sample quality, Muyembe said “it is very likely that it is malaria because most of the victims are children.”

The World Health Organization reported on Sunday that between October and December, there were 406 cases of an unknown illness in the Panzi health zone in Kwango Province, Democratic Republic of Congo.

Symptoms of the illness included fever, headache, cough, and body aches.

The majority of the cases are reported among malnourished children under five in a remote, rural region that has been impacted by heavy rains.

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Reaching the area by road can take up to 48 hours, the WHO said.

“These challenges, coupled with limited diagnostics in the region, have delayed the identification of the underlying cause,” the WHO said. “Rapid response teams have been deployed to identify the cause of the outbreak and strengthen the response.”

Those teams are considering possibilities other than malaria, such as COVID-19, pneumonia, measles, and influenza “as potential causal factors, with malnutrition as a contributing factor.”

Malaria is spread to humans by mosquitoes in tropical climates but isn’t carried from human to human.

“Malaria is a common disease in this area, and it may be causing or contributing to the case,” the WHO said. “Laboratory tests are underway to determine the exact cause. At this stage, it is also possible that more than one disease is contributing to the cases and deaths.”

The region in central Africa is impacted by food insecurity and armed attacks, while officials have little information on vaccination data, the WHO said.

“Based on the above rationale, the overall risk level to the affected communities is assessed as high,” the WHO said.

The risk is considered moderate on a national level because the outbreak is localized within the province, while on a global level, the risk for spread is low.

“However, the proximity of the affected area to the border with Angola raises concerns about potential cross-border transmission, and continued monitoring and cross-border coordination will be essential to mitigate this risk,” the WHO said.

The WHO estimated that in 2023 there were 263 million cases of malaria and 597,000 malaria deaths in 83 countries, a burden mostly disproportionately taken on by the African region, which saw 94 percent of the cases and 95 percent of the deaths.