An unknown disease killed 143 people in a southwestern province of the Democratic Republic of Congo in November, local authorities told Reuters.
Infected people had flu-like symptoms, including high fever and severe headaches, Remy Saki, the deputy governor of Kwango province, and Apollinaire Yumba, the provincial health minister, said on Monday.
A medical team has been sent to the Panzi health zone to collect samples and conduct analysis to identify the disease.
The situation was extremely worrying as the number of infected people continued to rise, said civil society leader Cephorien Manzanza.
“Panzi is a rural health zone, so there is a problem with the supply of medicines,” Manzanza said.
Sick people died in their own homes due to lack of treatment, Saki and Yumba said.
A local epidemiologist said women and children were hardest hit by the disease.
A spokesperson for the World Health Organization said on Tuesday that the UN health agency had been informed of the presence of the disease last week and was working with the DRC Ministry of Health to investigate further.