|
 Tests carried out by the Institut Pasteur in Paris detected one of
the most common types of the bacteria, Neisseria meningitidis, which
has the potential to cause large epidemics, the World Health
Organization said.
An investigation in early June near Panga, around 270 kilometres
north of the city of Kisangani, found patients suffering from fever,
headaches, stiff neck, and difficulty speaking, said health
minister, Jean-Jacques Mbungani.
Meningitis is transmitted by kissing, sneezing or coughing on
someone, or living in close quarters with an infected person. People
of all ages can catch the disease, but it mainly affects babies,
children and young people.
"We are moving fast, delivering medicines and deploying experts to
support the government's efforts to bring the outbreak under control
in the shortest possible time," said Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional
director for Africa.
[to top of second column] |
 Tshopo province lies in the
African meningitis belt, which runs across the
continent from Senegal to Ethiopia.
Congo has experienced several outbreaks in the
past, including one in 2009 that infected 214
people and caused 15 deaths, according to the
WHO.
Along with being battered by years of armed
conflict, graft and underfunding, Congo's
creaking health system has in the last four
years fought four Ebola outbreaks, endemic
cholera and measles, bubonic plague and the
COVID-19 pandemic.
(Reporting by Stanis Bujakera; Writing by
Hereward Holland; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content |
