A mysterious disease, referred to as ‘Disease X’ has killed up to 143 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
First detected on October 24, the illness presents flu-like symptoms, including high fever, severe headaches and coughing.
Affected regions lack adequate medical resources, worsening the crisis. The disease appears to be airborne.
Doctors do not know its cause nor even how many people have fallen victim.
Local authorities think fatalities could exceed official reports, with civil society leaders highlighting the dire situation in rural areas. Women and children appear most affected.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is investigating, and has dispatched teams to collect samples and analyse the outbreak.
One of the poorest countries in the world, the DRC has recently been at the epicentre of an mpbox outbreak, with more than 1,000 deaths overwhelming the country’s limited medical resources.
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