The ever-excellent CIDRAP website has the breaking story
. . .Abdi Mahamud, MD, interim director of alert and response coordination for the WHO, said malaria is endemic in the area and the rainy season has come with an increase in respiratory diseases within expected levels. For example, he said Kinshasa is seeing a rise in flu and COVID activity.
He said the epidemiologic data don't show an explosive increase in cases or deaths. He added, however, that the high infant mortality shows that the issue needs to be addressed in Panzi and other vulnerable regions.
Mike Ryan, MD, who leads the WHO's health emergencies program, praised DRC health officials for their work on the outbreak. Officials recognized that the cluster was unusual enough to report to the WHO, he said. "This is a sign of a system working, even in an extreme environment. . . ."
He also said officials are working with the US government to set up an airlift into an airport that is 150 km (93 miles) from Panzi. . . .
That is a relief, actually, as it is not an utterly unknown foe. We do have a vaccine for malaria. The trick will be getting it to the quite remote reaches of Panzi district, and quickly. That, and getting adequate food sources to these children, via airlifts. Onward.
नमस्ते
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