Brian Chituwo said the government has dispatched medical experts to investigate the cause of the disease and assess the situation in Namwala, a small town in the southern province of Zambia.

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"The four died before the medical team arrived in the area," Chituwo said.

The 20 patients have been quarantined in an effort to contain the spread of the disease, which has symptoms of vomiting and backache, the minister said.

Chituwo said the disease was detected last Sunday by local medical practitioners following the death of the four patients. - (Sapa/AFP)

Read more:
Mystery disease hits Congo

November 2007

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