Unknown disease kills over 50 in DR Congo's Equateur province

By Mevlut Ozkan

ISTANBUL (AA) – An unknown disease has claimed more than 50 lives in the Bansakusu territory of western Equateur province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

About 2,000 people have fled Bomate, which is 25 kilometers (over 15 miles) from Basankusu, the epicenter of the outbreak, Radio Okapi reported on Wednesday, citing a press statement issued by Senator Jean-Paul Boketsu Bofili of the Equateur province.

According to Bofili, symptoms of the unidentified disease include hemorrhagic fever, headaches, and joint or lower back pain.

“To date, there have been more than 36 deaths reported by the Basankusu health zone in one week, i.e., the period from February 3 to 9, and more than 50 deaths since the outbreak of the disease a few weeks earlier in this locality, which has only about 5,000 inhabitants," the senator said.

Urging the public to follow the health measures, he emphasized that this is a "serious health and humanitarian tragedy, which is beyond the capacity of local administrative authorities and the health system," leaving them overburdened and understaffed.