A mysterious illness has claimed the lives of more than 50 people in northwestern Congo over the past five weeks, baffling health experts.
The outbreak, first identified in three children who consumed a bat, has spread rapidly, with symptoms including fever, vomiting, and internal bleeding.
Medical professionals are alarmed by the rapid progression of the illness, as most victims succumb within 48 hours of symptom onset, according to a report.
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“That’s what’s really worrying,” said Serge Ngalebato, medical director of Bikoro Hospital, a key regional monitoring center.
Despite the symptoms resembling those of Ebola, Marburg, dengue, and yellow fever, laboratory tests have ruled out these known hemorrhagic fever viruses.
The outbreak began on January 21 in the village of Boloko, leading to 419 recorded cases and 53 deaths so far, said the World Health Organization’s Africa office.
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A second outbreak surfaced in the village of Bomate on February 9. Samples from 13 cases sent to Congo’s National Institute for Biomedical Research tested negative for major hemorrhagic fevers, though some were positive for malaria.
Concerns over zoonotic diseases—illnesses transmitted from animals to humans—continue to rise, particularly in regions where wild animal consumption is common.
The WHO previously reported a 60% surge in such outbreaks across Africa in the past decade.
Last year, a similar flu-like illness that killed dozens in another part of Congo was later linked to malaria, raising speculation about whether this latest outbreak could have a similar cause.
