In recent months, disease monitoring has identified an increase in cases and deaths three times in different regions of the country, which has triggered follow -up surveys to confirm the cause and provide necessary support, which said in a statement.
Symptoms include fever, headache, chills, perspiration, stiff neck, muscle pain, multiple joint pain and body pain, flowing or bleeding from the nose, cough, vomiting and diarrhea.
The DRC is currently faced with several challenges, with a conflict that rages in the east, while the Congolese armed forces face the M23 supported by Rwanda – with the fights involving several other armed groups.
Illness and death
A series of epidemics and deaths have been held in the province of Ecuador since the beginning of 2025, the United Nations Health Agency said.
The most recent cluster occurred in the Basankusu health zone, where last week 141 additional people fell ill, without death reported so far. Some 158 cases and 58 deaths were reported in the same area earlier in February.
In January, the Bolamba health zone reported 12 cases, including eight deaths.
Major challenges
The distance from affected areas limits access to health care, including tests and treatments, which have declared.
Basankusu and Bolomba are approximately 180 kilometers from each other and more than 300 kilometers from the provincial capital Mbandaka. The two localities are accessible by road or via the Congo river.
However, bad links on the road and communication are major challenges, said the United Nations Healthy Agency, which continues to support local authorities in strengthening investigation and response measures, with more than 80 community health workers trained to detect and report cases and deaths.
Other efforts are necessary to strengthen tests, detection of early cases and reports, said who, who remains in the field, to support health workers, collaborating closely with health authorities at all levels.
Increased monitoring
The United Nations health agency has provided emergency medical supplies, including test kits and has developed detailed protocols to improve the survey of diseases.
Increased surveillance of diseases has identified a total of 1,096 sick people and 60 deaths in Basankusu and Bolomba adjusting a broad definition of the mysterious disease.
In response to the last cluster, a national team of rapid intervention by Kinshasa and Ecuador, including Emergency Experts from WHO, was deployed in Basankusu and Bolomba to investigate the situation.
Experts are intensifying surveillance of diseases, conducting interviews with community members to understand history and providing treatment for diseases such as malaria, typhoid fever and meningitis, which has reported.
Current tests
The initial laboratory analysis has produced negative results for Ebola virus disease and Marburg virus disease.
About half of the samples have been tested positive for malaria, which is common in the region, which said.
Other tests must be carried out for meningitis. Food, water and environment samples will also be analyzed for any possible contamination.
