LAST UPDATE | 8 hrs ago

IRISH AID WORKERS are monitoring a mystery illness that may have killed more than 140 people in the south-west of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The Associated Press and Reuters are both reporting that 143 people have died from the flu-like illness which is sweeping through communities in the south-western reaches of the war-torn and disease-ravaged African country. 

A spokeswoman for Trócaire, which is operating in the DRC, said that the outbreak is some distance from their operation in Ituri. They have said that the location is about 300kms from the capital Kinshasa in an area known as Panzi. 

The aid agency is monitoring the situation and said that the World Health Organisation are examining the reports.   

A Goal spokeswoman said that aid agencies attend the weekly WHO Global Outbreak Alert & Response Network (GOARN) meeting where updates on any significant disease outbreaks or public health concerns are discussed.

Goal added this new outbreak was not mentioned last week and is not on the agenda for tomorrow’s meeting.

Reports this morning are that the disease is spreading across a very isolated and rural area which is proving difficult for supplies to reach the affected area.

The DRC is continuing to be one of Africa’s most unstable countries with reports that rebels had killed 10 people in clashes in the eastern part of the country. 

Local health officials in DRC said symptoms of the new disease include fever, headache, cough and anaemia.

The World Health Organisation is also monitoring efforts to deal with the Mpox outbreak in the country – there have been 47,000 cases and approximately 1,000 deaths.  

The news of the new illness comes as President Joe Biden is set to attend a summit on Africa in Angola.

Biden is on the second day of a visit to the African country, where the United States is showcasing a major infrastructure project aimed at countering China’s investments on the continent.

He is due to meet with the leaders of Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Zambia and Tanzania.

The US president is expected to announce fresh investments worth $600 million for the Lobito Corridor, a massive infrastructure project aimed at transporting critical minerals from inland countries to the Angolan port for export.

The White House has said the initiative would also help develop communities around the railway, including boosting agriculture and business in general.

The Lobito railway, also funded by the European Union and others, will reduce the time needed to transport minerals from the DRC and Zambia to Angola from 45 days to 45 hours, according to the US administration.

For the past three decades, the DRC’s mineral-rich east has been plagued by internal and cross-border violence.

With reporting from AFP.