A hitherto unknown disease that has claimed the lives of dozens of people in the Democratic Republic of Congo is probably malaria, the African Union's health watchdog said on Thursday (19)..

First detected at the end of October, cases of the disease are concentrated in the Panzi region, some 700 kilometers southeast of the capital, Kinshasa.

"The working diagnosis now is malaria," said Ngashi Ngongo, CDC Africa's chief of staff and head of the executive office, in an online briefing.

According to a AFPNgashi Ngongo said the situation was exacerbated by malnutrition in the region, describing it as the most likely hypothesis. "The theory of a viral hemorrhagic disease occurring in the context of malaria has not been ruled out," said Ngongo.

The disease has killed 37 people in Panzi's health facilities, out of a total of almost 600 cases, according to data from the Africa CDC. Some 44 other deaths have been recorded at community level and are being investigated.

Access to the region is difficult by road and health infrastructures are lacking. Residents also face a shortage of drinking water and medicines.

According to the Congolese authorities, the region, which suffered a serious typhoid epidemic two years ago, has one of the highest malnutrition rates in the country, at 61%.

Earlier this month, epidemiologists ruled out coronavirus, but concluded that it is a disease that affects the respiratory system. Its symptoms include fever, cough and headaches.

The first figures show that the disease mainly affects young people, with 40% of cases in children under five.

The DRC, one of the poorest countries in the world, has been at the epicenter of a smallpox outbreak in recent months, with more than 1,000 deaths.

(Photo DR)