| Unknown high mortality illness breaks out in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Novel illnesses raise the fear that they may develop into a quickly spreading epidemic, since natural resistance in populations is likely to be low and it may be unclear how best to treat infected people. The rapid spread of SARS showed how quickly modern transportation systems can transmit infections around the world, therefore an important aspect of pandemic planning is to monitor outbreaks of all new communicable diseases, even if these are in regions very remote from your organization. According to the WHO, the new illness has been reported in the province of Kasai Occidental, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The exact number of cases and deaths is unknown at this time. The clinical features in the majority of cases include fever, headache, diarrhoea or colicky abdominal pain, and vomiting. Over 50 percent of cases have been in children under 10 years of age. WHO response includes: - An investigation team from the Provincial and National Health Ministries, the Institut National de Recherches Biologiques (INRB) and WHO is in the field, and has taken clinical samples for laboratory testing. - WHO is mobilizing support for the epidemiological investigation and logistics, including supplies, and water and sanitation and technical partners in the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN) have offered to provide support if required.
•Date: 6th Sept 2007• Region: Africa/World •Type: Article •Topic: Pandemic planning
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