NAIROBI, Kenya (AFP)— A previously unknown disease that has claimed the lives of dozens in the Democratic Republic of Congo is likely to be malaria, the African Union’s health watchdog said Thursday.

First detected in late October, cases of the illness are concentrated in the Panzi region, around 700 kilometres (435 miles) southeast of the capital, Kinshasa.

“The working diagnosis now is malaria,” Ngashi Ngongo, Africa CDC chief of staff and head of the executive office told an online briefing.

The situation has been exacerbated by malnutrition in the region, he said, describing it as the most likely hypothesis.

A theory of a viral haemorrhagic disease occurring against the background of malaria has not been ruled out, Ngongo said.

The disease has killed 37 people in health facilities in Panzi from nearly 600 cases, data from the Africa CDC showed.

Some 44 other deaths have been reported at the community level and were under investigation.

Access to the region is difficult by road and health infrastructure is lacking. Residents also face a shortage of drinking water and medicine.

According to the Congolese authorities, the region, which suffered a serious typhoid fever epidemic two years ago, has one of the highest malnutrition rates in the country at 61 per cent.

Earlier this month, epidemiologists ruled out coronavirus but concluded it is a disease that affects the respiratory system.

Its symptoms include fever, cough and headaches.

Initial data showed that the disease particularly affected the young members of the population, with 40 per cent of cases involving children under five.

The DRC, one of the world’s poorest countries, has in recent months been at the epicentre of an outbreak of mpox, with more than 1,000 deaths.