Hong Kong tightens airport health checks amid DR Congo mystery disease outbreak

Hong Kong authorities have stepped up health screening measures for all flights arriving from African transit hubs as they brace for risks of an unidentified disease that killed at least 79 in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The Centre for Health Protection said on Thursday it had sought information about the outbreak from the World Health Organization, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, and Congolese health authorities. According to DRC health authorities, the unknown disease has resulted in 79 deaths and more than 300 infections since late October. Patients, most of whom were over the age of 15, experienced symptoms including fever, headache, runny nose, cough, breathing difficulties and anaemia. The centre said the local government had received no reports of people or travellers arriving in Hong Kong from the country with unknown diseases. While there are no direct flights between DRC and Hong Kong, travellers from the country typically reach the city through African transit hubs, particularly Johannesburg in South Africa and Addis Ababa in Ethiopia.<br/>