An unidentified illness has claimed the lives of more than 50 individuals in northwestern Congo, as reported by local doctors and the World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday. The rapid progression of symptoms leading to death within 48 hours in most cases has raised significant concerns among health officials.
The outbreak was first detected on January 21, with a total of 419 cases and 53 fatalities recorded so far. The WHO's Africa office revealed that the initial cases in the town of Boloko were linked to three children consuming a bat, resulting in their deaths within two days after exhibiting symptoms of hemorrhagic fever.
There is a growing apprehension regarding zoonotic diseases, which can be transmitted from animals to humans, particularly in regions where the consumption of wild animals is common. The WHO highlighted a 60% increase in such outbreaks across Africa over the past decade.
Following a subsequent outbreak in the town of Bomate on February 9, samples from 13 cases were sent to the National Institute for Biomedical Research in Kinshasa for analysis. Despite testing negative for Ebola and other known hemorrhagic fevers like Marburg, some samples did show positive results for malaria.
It is worth noting that a similar mysterious flu-like illness that caused numerous fatalities in a different part of Congo last year was ultimately attributed to likely being malaria. Health authorities are actively working to identify the cause of the current outbreak and implement necessary measures to contain its spread and protect public health.
