An unidentified illness has resulted in numerous fatalities and infections in the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to a report from the World Health Organization (W.H.O.). Preliminary investigations indicate that the outbreak may have originated from three children who consumed a bat in January and subsequently died.
As of February 15, the illness had claimed the lives of 53 individuals out of 431 reported cases, with nearly half of the fatalities occurring within 48 hours of symptom onset in one of the two identified clusters, as detailed in a W.H.O. bulletin.
The outbreak has been characterized by a rapid increase in cases, posing a significant public health threat, although the exact cause remains undetermined. Victims have exhibited symptoms including fever, vomiting, diarrhea, and body aches, with the deceased children also experiencing bleeding from the nose and vomiting blood.
The potential link to bats is noteworthy, as these animals are known reservoirs for various viruses that can affect humans, including Marburg and Ebola viruses, both of which are associated with ongoing outbreaks in the region. A bat virus is believed to have been a precursor to the Covid-19 virus.
The disease has primarily impacted individuals in Congo's Équateur Province, with a fatality rate exceeding 12 percent among cases. Investigations have traced an initial outbreak to Boloko Village, which later spread to Danda Village, while a larger outbreak has emerged in Bomate Village, affecting over 400 people.
To aid in identifying the disease, investigators sent 18 samples to Kinshasa for testing, ruling out Ebola and Marburg viruses. A similar unidentified illness last year affected hundreds in the southwestern region of the country, later determined to be respiratory infections complicated by malaria.
This new outbreak in northwestern Équateur Province is geographically distant from the ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis in eastern Congo, where M23 rebels, allegedly backed by Rwanda, are engaged in battles against the Congolese Army.
Équateur Province encompasses an area comparable to Kentucky, featuring primarily sparsely populated farmland and rainforest.