A man returning from Congo who presented flu-like symptoms potentially attributable to the disease that is affecting a region of the African country was admitted to hospital in Lucca in recent days and has already been discharged. This was announced by Maria Rosaria Campitiello, Head of the Prevention Department of the Ministry of Health. The patient was admitted to the San Luca hospital in Lucca from November 22 to December 3, the day he was discharged after recovering.
This morning the hospital in Lucca informed the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, which is monitoring the situation. The ministry is proceeding with the necessary investigations and the samples taken will be analyzed by the Istituto Superiore della Sanità.
"The man who returned to Lucca works in Congo, 700 km from the area where the outbreak was documented. He had been hospitalized with fever and anemia, now he is fine. Just out of caution he was contacted again for tests, but to date there is no risk of contagion" , says Spartaco Sani, head of infectious diseases at the San Luca hospital in Lucca.
Meanwhile, official news from Congo seems to scale down the alarm over the epidemic in the African country. The area of Panzi, where the disease developed, is extremely remote and sparsely populated. The experts' assessment at the moment is that the epidemic can therefore be contained . According to the Congolese Ministry of Health - as learned by Ansa - the epidemic has lasted for over 40 days and the confirmed deaths in health facilities are 27 out of 382 infected.
Another 44 deaths were recorded in neighboring villages, but without a verification of the diagnosis, for a total of about 70 deaths in a vast area. However, a large part of the deaths is due to the total lack of treatment. The mortality rate is around 8%. In the meantime, while waiting for even more precise information that will come from the tests that will be conducted by WHO experts, infectious disease specialists are trying to narrow down a list of potential causes of what is happening: from hemorrhagic fever, to some form of pneumonia, to respiratory infections.
As always in these situations, the possibility of containing the contagion in a limited area will weigh heavily . In Kenge, the capital of the affected region, there is a small national airport, but access to the region is complicated, especially during the current rainy season. During this period it can take 12-24 hours to reach the Kwango region from the capital by vehicle. There is no direct road between Kenge and Panzi, the area of the epidemic, which is much further south and closer to the border with Angola. The area is also affected by the Yaka-Teke conflict with the “Mabondo” militias active north of Kenge.
Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a bacterium responsible for diseases that mainly affect the respiratory system. The manifestations vary from mild infections of the upper airways (cold, pharyngitis, etc.) to more severe forms of pneumonia, often asymptomatic, but, when the immune defenses are reduced, the infection can lead to serious hematological and neurological complications.
(Online Union)