Unlikely Lucca patient was first Congo virus case - ASL

(ANSA) - ROME, DEC 10 - The head of the infectious diseases department of the local ASL health authority of north-western Tuscany said on Tuesday it was unlikely that a man from Lucca who recently returned from the Democratic Republic of Congo with symptoms similar to those of a mystery disease in the southwest of the African country had contracted the illness that has killed over 30 people.
    "It is highly unlikely that it is a first case of the new disease that is related to the one we presume to be in Congo, also because the person stayed in areas that are very far from the location where outbreaks occurred", said Spartaco Sani, head of the department of infectious diseases of ASL Tuscany North-West.
    Sani added that "we still know very little about the outbreaks, on the contrary we know nothing about what is going on so I would try to stay calm".
    The patient, who was hospitalized in Lucca from November 23 until December 3 after travelling to Congo, has been discharged after recovering from the disease, health officials said.
    Health ministry and Higher Health Institute (ISS) experts met Monday to discuss his case.
    Also on Monday, NAS health police took samples belonging to the man and took them to the ISS for analysis.
    The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported 406 cases of the so-far undiagnosed condition in the DRC, and 31 deaths for unknown causes.
    Between 24 October and 5 December 2024, the WHO said in its update on the situation, the Panzi Health Zone in Kwango Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo recorded 406 cases of an undiagnosed disease with symptoms of fever, headache, cough, runny nose and muscle aches.
    All severe cases were reported as extremely malnourished.
    (ANSA).