A deadly illness has emerged in Congo, causing the sudden deaths of dozens of individuals. The illness was initially identified in three children who consumed a bat and has since claimed over 50 lives in northwestern Congo within a span of five weeks, according to health experts. The onset of symptoms, which include fever, vomiting, and internal bleeding, has led to fatalities occurring within 48 hours in most cases, heightening concerns among medical professionals. Serge Ngalebato, the medical director of Bikoro Hospital, a regional monitoring center, expressed particular worry about this rapid progression of symptoms.
The manifested symptoms of this mysterious illness, characterized by hemorrhagic fever, typically associated with lethal viruses like Ebola, dengue, Marburg, and yellow fever have been present in the affected individuals. However, after testing more than a dozen samples, researchers have ruled out these known viruses as the cause of the outbreak. The disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo commenced on January 21, with 419 reported cases and 53 fatalities recorded thus far. The outbreak is said to have originated in the village of Boloko, where three children succumbed to the illness soon after consuming a bat.
The World Health Organization’s Africa office disclosed that the outbreak has raised concerns about zoonotic diseases, which can transfer from animals to humans, especially in regions where wildlife consumption is common. The WHO reported a significant increase of over 60% in zoonotic disease outbreaks in Africa over the past decade. Following a subsequent outbreak in the village of Bomate on February 9, samples from 13 cases were sent to the National Institute for Biomedical Research in Kinshasa, the capital of Congo, for comprehensive testing. Although the samples tested positive for malaria in some instances, they all yielded negative results for common hemorrhagic fever diseases.
Last year, a separate unidentified flu-like illness that claimed numerous lives in another part of Congo was later determined to be malaria. To stay updated with the latest news from CNN, including newsletters, you can create an account on CNN.com.
