THE WORLD HEALTH Organisation (WHO) has said that laboratory tests are underway to determine the cause of a mysterious disease that has killed dozens of people in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

They say that the remoteness of the area most affected and the lack of resources has delayed the identification of the dangerous disease.

Between 24 October and 5 December this year, Panzi health zone in Kwango Province of Democratic Republic of the Congo recorded 406 cases of an undiagnosed disease with symptoms of fever, headache, cough, runny nose and body ache.

All severe cases were reported to be severely malnourished.

Among the cases, 31 deaths have been registered, the WHO said, and the majority of cases reported are among children, particularly those under five years of age.

In an update released today, WHO said: “The area is rural and remote, with access further hindered by the ongoing rainy season. Reaching it from Kinshasa by road takes an estimated 48 hours.

“These challenges, coupled with limited diagnostics in the region, have delayed the identification of the underlying cause.

Rapid response teams have been deployed to identify the cause of the outbreak and strengthen the response. Irish aid workers are among those monitoring the situation.

The teams are collecting samples for laboratory testing, which is intended to provide a more detailed clinical characterisation of the detected cases. This will involve investigating the transmission dynamics, and actively searching for additional cases, both within health facilities and at the community level.

The teams are also aiding with the treatment of patients, risk communication and community engagement.

Given the clinical presentation and symptoms reported, and a number of associated deaths, acute pneumonia, influenza, COVID-19, measles and malaria are being considered as potential causal factors with malnutrition as a contributing factor.

Malaria is a common disease in this area, and the WHO believes it may be causing or contributing to the cases.

As so little is known at this point, it is also possible that more than one disease is contributing to the cases and deaths.