• Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and experts from the World Health Organisation (WHO) are carrying out further investigations to determine the cause of another cluster of illness and deaths in Équateur province.  

• The WHO said the Bolamba zone in the western province of Equateur reported 12 people who fell ill, including eight deaths, in January.

• Earlier this month, 158 cases and 58 deaths were reported in the Basankusu zone.

• And last week, 141 people fell ill in the Basankusu zone.

• Basankusu and Bolomba are around 180 kilometres apart and more than 300 kilometres from the provincial capital Mbandaka. The two localities are reachable by road or via the Congo River.

• Health officials still do not know the cause, or whether the cases in the two villages are related. It is also unclear how the diseases are spreading, including whether they are spreading between people.

• Symptoms include fever, headache, chills, sweating, stiff neck, muscle aches, multiple joint pain and body aches, a runny or bleeding from the nose, cough, vomiting and diarrhoea.

• Democratic Republic of the Congo currently faces multiple challenges, with a conflict raging in the east, as Congolese armed forces face off against the Rwanda-backed M23, with the fighting involving multiple other armed groups.

Increased surveillance by WHO

• In recent months, disease surveillance has identified increases in cases and fatalities on three occasions across different areas of the country, which triggered follow-up investigations to confirm the cause and provide needed support.

• Increased disease surveillance has identified a total of 1,096 sick people and 60 deaths in Basankusu and Bolomba fitting a broad case definition.

• Initial laboratory analysis has produced negative results for Ebola virus disease and Marburg virus disease.

• Around half of the samples tested positive for malaria, which is common in the region.

• Further tests are to be carried out for meningitis. 

• Food, water and environmental samples will also be analysed for any possible contamination.

• The experts are stepping up disease surveillance, conducting interviews with community members to understand the background and providing treatment for diseases such as malaria, typhoid fever and meningitis.

• The WHO continues to support local authorities in reinforcing investigation and response measures, with more than 80 community health workers trained to detect and report cases and deaths.

• Further efforts are needed to reinforce testing, early case detection and reporting, said WHO, which remains on the ground supporting health workers, collaborating closely with health authorities at all levels.

• The WHO has delivered emergency medical supplies, including testing kits, and developed detailed protocols to enhance disease investigation.   

• The remoteness of affected areas limits access to healthcare, including testing and treatment.

• Poor road and communication links are major challenges.

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