Indications from authorities in Congo show "a very strong level of suspicion of a poisoning event related to the poisoning of a water source” in one of the affected villages, WHO emergencies chief Dr. Michael Ryan said during an online briefing.
Doctors are investigating more than 1,000 illnesses that emerged since late January in five villages in Congo's Equateur province, where high rates of malaria have complicated efforts to diagnose the cases and where officials have said they've been unable so far to confirm the main cause.
WHO emergencies chief Dr. Michael Ryan said during an online briefing Friday that for one of the villages there is “a very strong level of suspicion of a poisoning event related to the poisoning of a water source.".
Officials, though, haven’t been able to confirm the main cause of the illnesses, he said, adding that the high rates of malaria and other common illnesses in the villages are making it difficult to determine the cause.
Authorities investigating the deaths of at least 60 people in northwestern Congo suspect the water source in one of the areas may have been contaminated, the World Health Organization said Friday.
