A mystery disease carrying similar symptoms to Covid-19 has already claimed three lives and is affecting more people of Bona and Olabia in the Muluma District in Mt Bosavi area.
Communities within Mt Bosavi have complained of experiencing flu-like symptoms, coupled with headaches, joint pains and shortness of breath but with the lack of health services in the area, a remedy to the unknown disease remains unlikely.
A local community leader Andrew Awabi said a family in Bona village was experiencing flu-like symptoms and soon after, the disease had spread to everyone in the village.
“The same is happening in Olabia village and has since spread to people in the whole of Muluma District in Mt Bosavi area causing everyone to become to ill.”
The lack of health services in the area means, that they may not be able to identify what the disease is, posing a greater risk to the communities at large.
“The covid-like disease or virus is spreading, from kids to adults every day and until proper health checks and tests are done, we will not be able to know if coronavirus is actually here.”
“The scariest part is that we already have 3 deaths from this sickness, “said Mr Awabi.
“We do not know what we are experiencing, if it is just flu and cough or actually the coronavirus.”
Mr Awabi said a team from the Covid-19 Response Centre needs to be deployed to Muluma District as soon as possible to carry out testings and identify what the people are experiencing because there is hardly any health services, no Covid-19 awareness carried out in the area and no Covid-19 testing sites on ground.
