"We are working with national authorities to monitor information about the unknown disease, so that we can understand the situation, and we have sent a team to the area to collect samples and carry out laboratory tests," said the spokesperson for WHO, Tarik Jasarevic, in statements cited by the Spanish news agency, EFE.
The deaths and other non-fatal cases have been recorded since October 24 in Kwango province, which borders Angola, DRCongo health authorities said.
Symptoms of the disease include fever, headaches, runny nose and cough, shortness of breath and anemia.
DRCongo is also suffering an outbreak of mpox, the disease formerly known as monkeypox, with more than 47,000 suspected cases and around 1,000 deaths, which led the WHO to declare an international emergency in August.
