Matadi, March 11th, 2026 (CPA).- A national mission from the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (Cousp) has arrived in Kongo Central, in the south-west of the Democratic Republic of Congo, to support investigations into suspected meningitis reported in the Madimba health zone since the beginning of March, CPA has learned on Wednesday during an interview with the head of the mission. ‘
This national mission to investigate meningitis here in Kongo Central follows the alert issued on February 13th. We have come to assist the province in completing the investigations into this suspected outbreak, which appeared at the beginning of March,’ has declared Dr Richard Kitenge, head of the mission. ‘ The initial data collected indicates that several localities are affected by suspected cases. When we arrived, six villages were affected, and today we are reporting five additional villages. This means that in the health area concerned alone, eleven villages have suspected cases, » the doctor has added after a meeting with the provincial minister in charge of health in Kongo Central, Ovide Yobila Nuambote. In terms of biological analyses, four cases have already been confirmed by the national laboratory, he has continued.
According to Dr Kitenge, three cases had been confirmed by the national laboratory of the National Institute for Biomedical Research (INRB), and with the latest batch of samples sent, a new positive result was obtained, bringing the total to four confirmed cases. The investigation mission is expected to last about two weeks and aims to better understand the epidemiological situation in order to guide the health response in the province.
It is being conducted as part of the activities of COUSP, a Congolese government programme, with financial support from the World Bank, through the Health System Development Programme Management Unit (UGPDSS).