Unknown illness leaves 60 dead in the Congo
Key takeaways:
- An unknown illness in the DRC has left 1,096 people sick and 60 dead since Jan. 21.
- All samples have been negative for common hemorrhagic fevers, including Ebola.
An unknown illness has killed 60 people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo since late January, according to WHO.
The outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) began on Jan. 21 after a cluster of cases of an illness with hemorrhagic fever symptoms was reported in Boloko Village. A second cluster was then identified on Feb. 13 in Bomate Village, although WHO said no epidemiological link has been identified yet.
As of Feb. 27, 1,096 cases and 60 deaths have been reported between the two clusters, including several children who reportedly ate a bat before illness onset. According to WHO, more than half the deaths were reported within 48 hours of symptom onset.
In late October last year, another mystery influenza-like illness swept through the DRC. The illness was identified in the DRC’s Kwango province and caused influenza-like symptoms in those infected, including fever, headache, nasal congestion, cough, difficulty breathing and anemia. Testing eventually revealed that the illness was actually an outbreak of malaria associated with influenza exacerbated by severe malnutrition.
According to WHO, some samples in the second outbreak have also tested positive for malaria. In addition to malaria, samples are being tested for food and water poisoning, typhoid fever, meningitis and hemorrhagic illnesses — although all specimens have been negative for Ebola and other common hemorrhagic fever diseases so far.
“Urgent action is needed to accelerate laboratory investigations, improve case management and isolation capacities, and strengthen surveillance and risk communication,” the WHO report read. “The remote location and weak health care infrastructure increase the risk of further spread, requiring immediate high-level intervention to contain the outbreak.”
References:
- Democratic Republic of the Congo deepens investigation on cluster of illness and community deaths in Equateur province. https://www.afro.who.int/countries/democratic-republic-of-congo/news/democratic-republic-congo-deepens-investigation-cluster-illness-and-community-deaths-equateur. Published Feb. 27, 2025. Accessed Feb. 27, 2025.
- WHO. Weekly bulletin on outbreaks and other emergencies. https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/380529/OEW7-1016022025.pdf. Published Feb. 16, 2025. Accessed Feb. 25, 2025.
Collapse
WHO. Weekly bulletin on outbreaks and other emergencies. https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/380529/OEW7-1016022025.pdf. Published Feb. 16, 2025. Accessed Feb. 25, 2025.
Read more about