143 people in Kwango province, Congo have died in the past two weeks with flu-like symptoms, officials warn of the risk of a widespread outbreak.

On December 3, Mr. Remy Saki, Deputy Governor of Kwango Province, and Mr. Apollinaire Yumba, Minister of Health of the province, said that the patient had flu-like symptoms, including high fever and severe headache.

Authorities have sent medical teams to the Panzi area to collect samples and conduct analyses to determine the cause of the disease. According to Cephorien Manzanza, a representative of the local community, the situation is worrying as the number of infected people continues to increase.

“Panzi is a rural health area so the supply of medicines is difficult,” said Mr. Manzanza.

Children receive medical examination in Congo. Photo: Xinhua

Many patients died at home due to lack of timely treatment, according to Mr. Saki and Mr. Yumba. A local epidemiologist said that women and children were the groups most affected by the epidemic.

A World Health Organization (WHO) spokesman said the agency was alerted to the outbreak last week and was working with the Congolese Ministry of Public Health to conduct further investigations.

The new disease comes as the country is under pressure from other diseases, especially monkeypox, with more than 47,000 suspected cases and more than 1,000 deaths, WHO said.