KINSHASA, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- At least 79 people died from "a disease of still unknown origin" that is raging in southwestern Democratic Republic of the Congo's Kwango province, health authorities said in a statement early Wednesday.
The statement said a specialized response team had been sent to the field to identify the nature of the disease, urging the public to avoid mass gatherings.
The disease often causes symptoms including fever, headache, breathing difficulty, and anemia.
Remy Saki, the province's vice governor, was quoted by local media as saying that between 67 and 143 deaths had been recorded as of Tuesday. ■