Congo has an unknown disease, many deaths in just 48 hours

In a report on February 19, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that two clusters of cases and deaths related to the unidentified disease had been recorded in two different health areas of Equateur province - Congo.

According to WHO, as of February 15, there were 431 cases of the disease, including 45 deaths.

The first cluster of cases and deaths were recorded in January in the village of Boloko, in the Bolomba health area. Preliminary investigations traced the outbreak to three deaths among children under the age of five.

The children died after suffering from fever, headaches, diarrhea, fatigue and bleeding. It is reported that before the above symptoms appeared, the children had eaten bat carcasses.

Congo has an unknown disease, many deaths in just 48 hours Picture 1

Unidentified disease appears in northwestern Democratic Republic of Congo. Photo: Xinhua

The second cluster was reported in February in Bomate village, in Basankusu health district.

Xinhua News Agency quoted a WHO report stating: "With the number of cases increasing rapidly in a few days, this outbreak is posing a significant threat to public health."

Additionally, the WHO noted that the disease progresses rapidly. Nearly half of deaths occurred within 48 hours of symptom onset in the Basankusu health district. The mortality rate was particularly high in the Bolomba health district.

However, authorities have not yet determined any epidemiological link between the cases in these two areas.

WHO said its experts were looking into the possibility of diseases such as malaria, viral haemorrhagic fever, food or water poisoning, typhoid and meningitis. Based on the test results, WHO has ruled out the possibility of Ebola and Marburg virus infection in the above clusters.

In late 2024, a "mystery disease" raged in Kwango province in southwestern Congo, later identified as severe malaria caused by malnutrition.

According to a report by the Congolese government in January, the country recorded 2,774 cases of the disease, including 77 deaths.

Escalating armed conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo's North Kivu and South Kivu provinces has worsened an already dire humanitarian crisis. There have been reports of looting, attacks on aid workers and roadblocks that have severely disrupted relief efforts.

WHO called for immediate action to ensure humanitarian access, restore critical infrastructure and ensure the delivery of health and food aid. At the same time, WHO stressed that enhanced public health surveillance remains essential to prevent future crises.

Marvin Fry

Update 20 February 2025