Congo’s health minister said Thursday the government is on alert over a mystery flu-like disease that in recent weeks killed dozens of people, nearly half of which were children.

Authorities have so far confirmed 71 deaths, including 27 people who died in hospitals and 44 in the community in the southern Kwango province, health minister Roger Kamba said.

“The Congolese government is on general alert regarding this disease," Kamba said, without providing more details.

Of the victims at the hospitals, 10 died due to lack of blood transfusion and 17 as a result of respiratory problems, he said.

Authorities have said that symptoms include fever, headache, cough and anaemia. Epidemiological experts are in the region to take samples and investigate the disease, the health minister said.

Congo is already plagued by the mpox epidemic, with more than 47,000 suspected cases and over 1,000 suspected deaths from the disease in the Central African country, according to the World Health Organization.