Over 50 People Dead from Unknown Disease in Congo
Health experts report that an unidentified illness, initially identified in three children who consumed a bat, has swiftly claimed the lives of over 50 individuals in northwestern Congo within the last five weeks.
TroibNews 
An unidentified illness discovered in three children who consumed a bat has quickly claimed the lives of over 50 individuals in northwestern Congo in the last five weeks, according to health experts.
The time between the onset of symptoms—such as fever, vomiting, and internal bleeding—and death has been about 48 hours in most cases, which "that's what's really worrying," commented Serge Ngalebato, the medical director of Bikoro Hospital, a regional monitoring center.
These symptoms resembling "hemorrhagic fever" are typically associated with known deadly viruses, including Ebola, dengue, Marburg, and yellow fever. However, researchers have discounted these possibilities after testing more than a dozen samples gathered so far.
The current disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo began on January 21, with recorded cases amounting to 419 and fatalities reaching 53.
The outbreak originated in the village of Boloko after three children consumed a bat and succumbed within 48 hours, as stated by the Africa office of the World Health Organization on Monday.
Concerns have existed for a long time regarding diseases transferring from animals to humans in regions where wild animals are commonly consumed. The WHO indicated in 2022 that the frequency of such outbreaks in Africa has surged by more than 60 percent over the past decade.
Following the outbreak of this unidentified disease in the village of Bomate on February 9, samples from 13 cases were sent for testing to the National Institute for Biomedical Research in Congo's capital, Kinshasa, as reported by the WHO. All samples were negative for typical hemorrhagic fever diseases, though some returned positive for malaria.
Previously, another mystery flu-like illness that resulted in numerous fatalities in a different part of Congo was likely attributed to malaria.
Sanya Singh contributed to this report for TROIB News
The time between the onset of symptoms—such as fever, vomiting, and internal bleeding—and death has been about 48 hours in most cases, which "that's what's really worrying," commented Serge Ngalebato, the medical director of Bikoro Hospital, a regional monitoring center.
These symptoms resembling "hemorrhagic fever" are typically associated with known deadly viruses, including Ebola, dengue, Marburg, and yellow fever. However, researchers have discounted these possibilities after testing more than a dozen samples gathered so far.
The current disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo began on January 21, with recorded cases amounting to 419 and fatalities reaching 53.
The outbreak originated in the village of Boloko after three children consumed a bat and succumbed within 48 hours, as stated by the Africa office of the World Health Organization on Monday.
Concerns have existed for a long time regarding diseases transferring from animals to humans in regions where wild animals are commonly consumed. The WHO indicated in 2022 that the frequency of such outbreaks in Africa has surged by more than 60 percent over the past decade.
Following the outbreak of this unidentified disease in the village of Bomate on February 9, samples from 13 cases were sent for testing to the National Institute for Biomedical Research in Congo's capital, Kinshasa, as reported by the WHO. All samples were negative for typical hemorrhagic fever diseases, though some returned positive for malaria.
Previously, another mystery flu-like illness that resulted in numerous fatalities in a different part of Congo was likely attributed to malaria.
Sanya Singh contributed to this report for TROIB News
