The World Health Organization has said Malaria and common respiratory infections, compounded by malnutrition, caused an hitherto unexplained spate of deaths in the southwestern Democratic Republic of Congo.
The DR Congo said earlier this month it was on maximum alert over an unknown public health event that claimed dozens of lives in the Panzi region, around 700 kilometres southeast of the capital Kinshasa.
The situation first appeared on the radar in late October, with Panzi health authorities raising the alert in late November following a surge in deaths.
In an update on the situation, the WHO said that from October 24 to December 16, a total of 891 cases met the definition, with 48 deaths.
The UN health agency said that as of December 16, laboratory results from 430 samples showed positive results for malaria and for common respiratory viruses including influenza, rhinoviruses, SARS-CoV-2, human coronaviruses, parainfluenza viruses, and human adenovirus.
