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International Events

Acute Respiratory Infections Complicated by Malaria (Formerly Known as Mystery Disease) In Panzi Health Zone, Democratic Republic of Congo
   

​​Updated 29 December 2024

Overview
  • On 27 December 2024, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued an update regarding the news of an outbreak of an unknown disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The new report is an update to the report issued on 8 December 2024 that the causes of the outbreak had been discovered and it was named acute respiratory infections complicated by malaria.
  • Previously, the Ministry of Health in the Democratic Republic of the Congo announced on 17 December 2024 that "the mystery has finally been solved and these are cases of acute malaria in the form of a respiratory disease."
  • It was reported that 891 cases were recorded according to the case definition until December 16, 2024, with the weekly death toll remaining relatively stable (48 deaths during this period) according to the WHO report issued on December 27, while local authorities estimated according to local reports that the deaths were more than 130 deaths.
  • Laboratory tests conducted so far indicate that 430 samples are infected with common respiratory viruses in addition to malaria, and it is believed that a combination of these seasonal diseases with severe malnutrition has led to an increase in severe cases and deaths, especially among children under five years of age.
  • Since the last update, an additional 485 suspected cases and 17 new deaths have been reported in Panzi Health Zone, Kwangju Province, where infections have affected 25 of the 30 health zones.
  • Case definition:
  • A broad definition was used that included anyone from the Panzi Health Zone since September 2024 who had symptoms such as fever, cough, body weakness, and runny nose, with or without other symptoms such as headache, difficulty breathing, poor nutrition, and body aches.
  • Diagnosis/Laboratory confirmation:
  • 430 samples were collected from suspected cases in Panzi Health Zone, including blood, nasopharyngeal and nasal swabs, urine and breast milk samples.​​
​Positive results details​Percentage of positives​Positive cases​Total samples collected​Sample type/category
​Positive for malaria​62%​55​88​Rapid diagnostic tests for malaria
​Positive
Plasmodium falciparum
​65%​17​26​a test of PCR BioFire Global Fever Panel
  • ​Influenza A (H1N1, pdm09):  25 samples
  • Rhinoviruses: 18samples
  • SARS-COV-2: 15 samples
  • Human Coronavirus:3 samples
  • Parainfluenza:  2
  • Human adenovirus: 1
​-​64​89​Respiratory disease monitoring (INRB)
Public health response in Congo:
The response includes daily coordination meetings, rapid response teams, strengthening health care capacity, providing medical supplies, conducting laboratory tests, awareness campaigns, and training health workers. Efforts are underway to improve infrastructure and communications and ensure logistical supplies to support the ongoing response.

Challenges in Congo:
The Kwango District in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been upgraded by the Integrated Food Security Phase (IPP) for acute food insecurity levels from Phase 1 (Acceptable) in April 2024 to Phase 3 (Crisis) in September 2024.
This indicates a significant increase in food insecurity and the risk of acute malnutrition. In addition, the acute malnutrition classification currently classifies Panzi Health District as Phase 3 (Severe) and is expected to move to Phase 4 (Critical) from January 2025.
The remoteness of the affected area and logistical constraints, with a two-day or more drive from Kinshasa due to the impact of the rainy season on roads and poor telecommunications coverage in the health districts, are hampering the rapid deployment of response teams and resources. Furthermore, there is no functional laboratory in the health district or province, requiring samples to be collected and shipped to Kinshasa for analysis. This has caused diagnostic delays and could continue to impact ongoing response efforts

WHO Risk Assessment:
Local level: High risk to communities affected by malnutrition, malaria, and seasonal respiratory diseases, with limited resources and logistical constraints.
National and regional/global level: Low risk, considered as such due to the localized nature of the outbreak, but an integrated response is needed to prevent the situation from recurring in other areas of the country.

References:

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Last Update : 23 January 2025 10:16 AM
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