Kinshasa: A deadly and unidentified illness has killed more than 50 people in northwestern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), with health officials alarmed by the rapid progression from symptoms to death. The World Health Organization (WHO) and local medical authorities confirmed the outbreak.
According to Serge Ngalebato, the medical director of Bikoro Hospital — one of the main regional monitoring centers — most victims have died within 48 hours of developing symptoms. "That’s what’s really concerning," Ngalebato told the Associated Press.
The outbreak, which began on January 21, has so far resulted in 419 reported cases, including 53 fatalities. The first known incident occurred in the town of Boloko, where three children died within two days of eating a bat, exhibiting signs of hemorrhagic fever. This has raised fears of another animal-to-human disease transmission, a pattern that has become more frequent in Africa. The WHO had previously warned in 2022 about a 60% surge in such outbreaks over the past decade.
A second wave of infections emerged in the town of Bomate on February 9. In response, samples from 13 patients were sent to the National Institute for Biomedical Research in Kinshasa for analysis. So far, tests have ruled out Ebola and other common hemorrhagic fevers like the Marburg virus, though some samples did test positive for malaria.
Health experts remain on high alert as investigations continue, with fears mounting over the potential spread of the unknown disease and its swift fatality rate. The WHO and Congolese health authorities are working to identify the cause and contain the outbreak.
