WHO investigating “mystery illness” in South Sudan that has killed 100 people

WHO investigating "mystery illness" in South Sudan that has killed 100 people

Image: UN

The WHO is investigating a “mystery illness” in South Sudan that has killed 100 people, mostly elderly people and children.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) is investigating a mystery illness that has caused the death of 97 people in Fangak, a region of South Sudan with 11 million inhabitants.

Most of the people who have died were elderly people or children between the ages of 1 and 14, according to reports from the Ministry of Health. The symptoms include a cough, diarrhea, a fever, headaches, chest pain, joint pain, body weakness and loss of appetite.

The WHO spokesperson in Africa, Collins Boakye-Agyemang, stated that the organisation had begun to investigate the illness in November, without going into much further detail.

The WHO originally suspected that it may be an outbreak of cholera, which is transmitted in contaminated water, as there have been extreme floods in the country in recent months. However, tests performed for cholera in the water came back negative. Even though this is the “perfect storm” for outbreaks of cholera, the experts have ruled it out.

Various different NGOs have already started to provide medical supplies and are in the process of installing mobile clinics to treat local patients in Fangak.

______________________________________________________________________

Thank you for taking the time to read this article, do remember to come back and check The Euro Weekly News website for all your up-to-date local and international news stories and remember, you can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

Written by

Tamsin Brown

Originally from London, Tamsin is based in Malaga and is a local reporter for the Euro Weekly News covering Spanish and international news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com.

Comments