Last week authorities in Congo said they suspected malaria in the disease outbreak signs of which are just like the flu
A man has died in western Congo with symptoms of hemorrhagic fever, leading officials to suspect that a still-unidentified virus may be involved alongside malaria in a mysterious outbreak that killed over 100 people, according to health authorities.
Last week authorities in Congo said they suspected malaria in the disease outbreak, signs of which are just like the flu, as more than four out of five patients have tested for the vector-borne disease. However, the new fatality due to hemorrhagic fever, which is not associated with parasite-caused malaria, could indicate another virus alongside as well.
Hemorrhagic fevers are a group of illnesses caused by viruses that damage your blood vessels and can cause severe bleeding. Some fever viruses also lead to symptoms like body aches and fatigue—like Ebola, dengue, Marburg, and yellow fever. According to experts, these viruses are most common in parts of Africa, Asia, and South America.
Hemorrhagic fever victim died at the same place where the malaria outbreak was reported
According to the Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the man died in the remote Panzi area of Kwango province, where the outbreak has been recorded. Sgashi Ngongo, an official with ACDCP, told reporters that this has led to a working hypothesis that the outbreak is either “severe malaria on a background of malnutrition” or “a viral infection that is happening on the background of malaria.”
Authorities said that based on the first diagnostics, they think it is a respiratory disease, adding that further laboratory results are awaited.
Officials say that even though hemorrhagic fever is reported for the first time, malaria is endemic in the Panzi area, marred with high levels of malnutrition, complicating the diagnosis of the latest outbreak.
Are hemorrhagic fevers dangerous?
According to experts, the viruses in this group range in severity. Many of them cause mild illness. But all of them can damage your blood vessels and interfere with your blood’s ability to clot, leading to life-threatening complications.
A few signs and symptoms of hemorrhagic fever include:
- Fever
- Body aches
- Dizziness
- Fatigue and extreme tiredness
- Headaches
- Rashes all over the body
- Bleeding from your nose, eyes, gums or vagina
- Severe vomiting—sometimes even blood
- Breathlessness
- Low blood pressure
- Seizures
- Coma
What causes hemorrhagic fever?
While it is not fully understood how hemorrhagic fever viruses cause severe bleeding, studies show that the viruses damage your blood vessels, causing them to leak and also interfere with blood clotting. Several types of viruses can cause viral hemorrhagic fevers, including:
- Arenaviruses
- Filoviruses
- Bunyaviruses
- Flaviviruses
Experts say the viruses that lead to hemorrhagic fevers spread in different ways—and you can get infected though
- Mosquito bites
- Tick bites
- Contact with body fluids like blood, pee, poop, or saliva
- Contact with the body fluids of an infected animal
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