Congo poised to mobilise diagnostics in face of "high-mortality unknown illness":
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
International epidemiology experts are awaiting the results of laboratory tests on samples related to an "unknown high-mortality" disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Healthcare and surveillance teams from the health ministry and the Institut National de Recherches Biologiques, backed by the WHO, are investigating the situation, which is centred in Kasai Occidental province. The exact number of cases and deaths is not yet known, according to a WHO notice, dated August 31, but the majority involves infants under the age of 10, presenting with fever, headache, diarrhoea/abdominal pain and vomiting. The Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN) and the WHO are supporting the government's epidemiological investigations and logistics efforts.