Congo disease, 86% test positive for malaria

The African Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have recently published new data on tests for a yet-undiagnosed disease prevalent in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Of the 29 samples submitted for molecular investigation, 25 (86.2%) returned positive results for malaria. Comparable results were obtained using rapid diagnostic tests, with 55 positive results identified out of 88 tests. The data appear to provide evidence that could support the hypothesis that the undiagnosed disease in DRC in recent weeks is malaria. The total number of recorded cases over the previous week amounted to 65, with a further five fatalities. This brings the total number of cases to 592.