Cosenza woman with Congo disease symptoms doing well

(ANSA) - ROME, DEC 11 - A woman returning from Congo who presented flu-like symptoms potentially similar to the disease that is affecting a region of the African country was hospitalized in Cosenza in recent days and has already been discharged, local health authorities said Wednesday.
    The woman, who returned from the African country on November 29, was discharged after one day, they said.
    Local health authorities said samples taken will be analysed by the Istituto Superiore della Sanità (Higher Health Institute, ISS).
    The likelihood of her having infected someone else is very low, they added.
    On Tuesday, the head of the infectious diseases department of the local ASL health authority of north-western Tuscany said it was unlikely that a man from Lucca who recently returned from the Democratic Republic of Congo with symptoms similar to those of the mystery disease in the southwest of the African country had contracted the illness.
    The Lucca patient, who was hospitalized from November 23 until December 3 after travelling to Congo, has also been discharged after recovering from the disease.
    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.
    The cases have been recorded in the Kwango Province.
    Over half of those who died were children under the age of five who were severely malnourished, the health agency said. (ANSA).