- An outbreak of an unknown illness has struck Angola's Cacuaco municipality, with the first cases reported on 2 October. It has so far claimed four children in the Angolan capital Luanda.
As at 15 November, a total of 370 cases were presented for treatment at Cacuaco Municipal Hospital.
It is however believed that there may be additional unreported cases within patients among affected communities who prefer to remain at home or receive treatment from traditional healers.
Clinical symptoms of the unknown disease are extreme drowsiness, waking only to painful stimuli, the World Health Organisation confirmed. Though its victims recover slowly over a number of days, they however remain ataxic with many unable to walk by themselves. Its symptoms are most extreme in children.
The neurological indication of the outbreak is of a cerebellar abnormality with no sign of peripheral neuropathy and relaxes are normal. Clinical tests on samples from patients have so far proved negative. But the results of environmental, food and drinking water samples.
The common source or route of exposure of the outbreak are yet to be revealed by epidemiological investigations. Some health experts suspects contaminated food as the main cause.
A team of international health experts from the WHO have been assisting the Angolan Ministry of Health investigating the mystery disease. Samples of urine, blood and faeces had been taken to the US, France, UK and Germany for test.
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