A flu-like illness responsible for up to 143 deaths in just over two weeks is being investigated in Congo, local authorities said, according to CNN.
The deaths were recorded between November 10-25 in the Panzi health zone of the Kwango province in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Symptoms include fever, cough, headache, and anemia, the province's Health Minister Apollinaire Yumba told reporters over the weekend.
On Tuesday, Rémy Saki, deputy provincial governor, told AP that the death toll is was estimated between 67-143. He added that a team of epidemiological experts is expected to take samples to identify the problem.
Cephorien Manzanza, a civil society leader, told The Guardian that the number of people infected is still rising, and stressed that Panzi "is a rural health zone, so there is a problem with the supply of medicines."
The World Health Organization (WHO) is aware of the matter and has deployed a team to work with local health services and collect samples, the report added, quoting an anonymous employee.