Mystery Fever Strikes Mozambican Children

A mystery fever is striking down people - mainly children - in the port city of Quelimane, Mozambique.

Health authorities are struggling to identify the malaria-like illness, which includes high fever, joint pain and headaches.


Dulce Santana told reporters it was not the first time she had brought her two year old in for treatment.

"I don’t know the kind of fever she is suffering from," she said.

"I’m not sure whether it is malaria or not. This is not the first time my daughter suffers from the same illness. When she takes medical examinations, nothing is diagnosed. This is frequent.”

Quelimane's chief medical doctor, Joaria Amisse, said they were investigating the issue.

“Patients have, indeed, complained of fevers. We are going to the ground to investigate the problem," he said.

"We are open to clarify any kind of health problem. The current situation caught us by surprise. But, it’s something we are going to learn about at the level of health units.”