Congo says the mysterious illness behind dozens of deaths of women and children was eventually identified as severe malaria.

Johannesburg – For weeks it was simply called “Disease X”. But A mysterious flu-like illness More than 143 people, mostly women and young children, have been identified as dead in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

“The mystery has finally been solved,” Congo’s health ministry announced in a statement on Tuesday. “This is a case of severe malaria in the form of a respiratory illness.”

Malnutrition in the worst-hit area has weakened the local population’s immunity, making them more susceptible to the disease, the health agency said. Symptoms include headache, fever, cough and body aches in people infected with malaria.

Congo’s health minister told reporters the country was on “high alert” for the spread of the previously unknown disease, and health officials told CBS News in early December that the epicenter of the outbreak was The remoteness and lack of diagnosis make this difficult. to initiate a joint reaction.

At least 592 cases have been reported since the Congolese health ministry first issued an alert on October 29. The death rate from this disease is 6.25 percent, the ministry said. According to the World Health Organization, more than half of the recorded deaths were children under the age of five who were severely malnourished when they contracted the disease.

In a press briefing on December 10, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that 10 out of 12 samples from patients with the mysterious illness had tested positive for malaria, but he said they were still testing for other diseases. Testing for.

The Congolese government sent a rapid intervention team, including epidemiologists and other medical experts, to Kwangju province, 435 miles southeast of the capital Kinshasa. Their aim was to identify the disease and provide an appropriate response. Government officials had earlier warned locals to avoid touching the bodies of those infected or the dead.

The Congo has suffered outbreaks of several diseases in recent years, including typhoid, malaria and anemia. The country is also stuck with one. mpox outbreakAccording to the WHO, with more than 47,000 suspected cases and more than 1,000 suspected deaths from the disease.

Antimalarial drugs provided by the WHO were being distributed to local health centers in Congo, and WHO officials said more medical supplies were due to arrive in the country on Wednesday.

It is the rainy season in the Congo, which often sees an increase in malaria cases, and will certainly complicate treatment for those most at risk.