A mysterious illness has emerged in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), sparking serious concerns among health experts. The disease, which was first reported after three children ate a bat, has claimed over 50 lives in just five weeks. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there were 431 cases and 53 deaths in two outbreaks across remote villages in Equateur province as of February 16.
Symptoms of the illness include fever, vomiting, and internal bleeding, with most patients dying within 48 hours of onset. This rapid progression has health experts worried, with Serge Ngalebato, medical director of Bikoro Hospital, noting that the short interval between symptoms and death is particularly alarming.
"The outbreaks, which have seen cases rise rapidly within days, pose a significant public health threat. The exact cause remains unknown," a WHO spokesperson said. The WHO is investigating the outbreaks, but the remote geography and limited healthcare infrastructure are exacerbating response challenges.
Researchers have identified "hemorrhagic fever" symptoms in the mysterious illness, which are typically associated with deadly viruses like Ebola, dengue, Marburg, and yellow fever. However, after conducting tests on over a dozen samples, scientists have been able to rule out these known viruses as the cause of the outbreak, leaving the exact origin and nature of the illness still unknown.
"We are looking into whether it is another infection or whether it is some toxic agent. We have to see what can be done and at what point WHO can support," a WHO spokesperson added.
This news comes after the DRC also battled with Disease X last year, which killed 143 people.
The rise of diseases jumping from animals to humans, known as zoonotic diseases, is a growing concern. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that outbreaks like these have increased by 60% over the last decade. This surge is largely attributed to human activities such as deforestation, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation, which bring people into closer contact with wild animals and their pathogens.
In the case of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the weak healthcare infrastructure poses a significant risk of further spread, necessitating immediate high-level intervention to contain the outbreak. The consumption of wild animals, or bushmeat, is a common practice in some regions, which increases the risk of transmission of diseases like Ebola, HIV, and SARS.
