It was also reported that a local epidemiologist claimed that women and children are most severely affected by the mysterious disease, but it is important to note that there are still no official findings or test results published regarding the disease, its severity or origin.
The World Health Organization claims that they were alerted to the existence of the disease last week, and that they are monitoring the situation. The organization’s spokesperson said last night (Tuesday) that the agency is working in cooperation with the Congolese Ministry of Public Health to investigate the matter in depth.
“It seems that this has become a serious problem, and it needs to be taken seriously”
“This is a very disturbing event,” says Prof. Cyril Cohen, head of the immunotherapy laboratory at Bar-Ilan University, referring to the reports. “In many cases where there are outbreaks of viruses in different countries, they manage to catch it in time and it amounts to a targeted outbreak, but in the current case it seems that it has become a serious problem, and it should be taken seriously.”
Prof. Cohen adds that countries where health services are lacking, and where the residents live in a common way, are prone to disasters in terms of the transfer of pathogens and bacteria to humans. “One should hope that the transmission of this disease is not at an accelerated rate, and conduct an in-depth investigation to identify the cause and the pattern of infection, and examine whether the disease is spreading widely in other areas as well.”
The outbreak of the mysterious disease comes as the Democratic Republic of the Congo simultaneously faces a high incidence of monkeypox, which has so far killed more than a thousand people in the country.