A man has died in western Congo with symptoms of hemorrhagic fever, leading officials to suspect that a still-unidentified virus may be involved alongside malaria in a mysterious outbreak that killed over 100 people, according to health authorities.
Last week authorities in Congo said they suspected malaria in the disease outbreak, signs of which are just like the flu, as more than four out of five patients have tested for the vector-borne disease. However, the new fatality due to hemorrhagic fever, which is not associated with parasite-caused malaria, could indicate another virus alongside as well.
Hemorrhagic fevers are a group of illnesses caused by viruses that damage your blood vessels and can cause severe bleeding. Some fever viruses also lead to symptoms like body aches and fatigue—like Ebola, dengue, Marburg, and yellow fever. According to experts, these viruses are most common in parts of Africa, Asia, and South America.
Hemorrhagic fever victim died at the same place where the malaria outbreak was reported
Officials say that even though hemorrhagic fever is reported for the first time, malaria is endemic in the Panzi area, marred with high levels of malnutrition, complicating the diagnosis of the latest outbreak.
Are hemorrhagic fevers dangerous?
A few signs and symptoms of hemorrhagic fever include:
- Fever
- Body aches
- Dizziness
- Fatigue and extreme tiredness
- Headaches
- Rashes all over the body
- Bleeding from your nose, eyes, gums or vagina
- Severe vomiting—sometimes even blood
- Breathlessness
- Low blood pressure
- Seizures
- Coma
