Guardian A previously unidentified disease circulating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is a severe form of malaria, the country’s health ministry has said.
Earlier this month, local authorities said the disease had killed 143 people in the south-west Kwango province in November. The symptoms of the disease are fever, headache, cough, runny nose and body aches.
“The mystery has finally been solved. It’s a case of severe malaria in the form of a respiratory illness,” the health ministry said in a statement on Tuesday, adding that malnutrition in the area had weakened the local population, leaving them more vulnerable to disease.
The statement said 592 cases had been reported since October, with a fatality rate of 6.2%.