Health officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have now identified severe malaria as being the unspecified illness that has killed at least 143 people in the Ponzi Health Zone of Kwango Province. The disease has predominantly affected children under five and women, sparking concern across the region.
A statement obtained by Reuters from the Ministry of Health confirmed the discovery noting that:
“The mystery has finally been solved – it is severe malaria presenting with respiratory symptoms.”
According to health officials, the illness causes a combination of high fever, headaches, anemia, and a persistent cough. They further attributed the severity of the outbreak to malnutrition which has left many residents vulnerable to complications of the disease and has exacerbated the situation.
The statement also reported that since October, 592 cases of the illness have been recorded, with a mortality rate of 6.25%.
However, in a statement emailed to USA Today the World Health Organization (WHO) indicated that it had not yet determined the cause of the outbreak and was unaware of the Congolese Ministry of Health’s announcement.
During a press briefing on December 10, WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, stated that of the 12 samples collected, 10 had tested positive for malaria. He did however comment that a combination of diseases could also be a factor in the outbreak with acute pneumonia, influenza, COVID-19, and measles being among the potential causes being investigated.
In a separate statement dated December 8, WHO announced that it had deployed a team of experts to the affected region and was working together with the Congo government to unravel the disease. Apollinaire Yumba, the Provincial Health Minister, informed Reuters that the government is supplying malaria treatment provided by WHO to key hospitals and health facilities within the Ponzi Health Zone.
However, the response and diagnosis have been significantly delayed due to the area’s remote location, poor infrastructure, and ongoing heavy rainfall. These challenges, combined with limited access to diagnostic tools in the region, have further complicated the efforts to address the outbreak, according to WHO although a spokesperson confirmed that additional health kits designed to treat moderate and severe cases had been scheduled for delivery on 18 December.
The DRC has the second-highest number of malaria cases and mortality rates globally, second only to Nigeria. In 2022, the country reported 27,296,419 malaria cases, with 24,880 deaths being recorded A recent WHO report indicated that there were more than 263 million cases of malaria worldwide in 2023, marking an increase of 11 million cases compared to 2022. The report also highlighted that malaria-related deaths reached 597,000, with the majority of these fatalities occurring among children under five years old in Africa.
