KINSHASA, Congo — A mysterious illness has claimed more than 50 lives in northwestern Congo over the past five weeks, sparking alarm among health experts.
The outbreak, which began with three children in the village of Boloko, who ate a bat, has since spread rapidly, with cases now totaling 419.
The illness, which causes symptoms such as fever, vomiting, and internal bleeding, is showing a concerning pattern.
Most patients succumb to the disease within 48 hours of exhibiting symptoms, according to Serge Ngalebato, the medical director of Bikoro Hospital, a regional monitoring center. “The speed with which this illness progresses are what’s really worrying,” Ngalebato said.
Although the symptoms resemble those of deadly hemorrhagic fevers such as Ebola, Marburg, dengue, and yellow fever, tests of over a dozen samples collected from patients have ruled out these viruses.
The outbreak, which first emerged on January 21, has raised significant concerns among health authorities.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that the outbreak’s origins trace back to the village of Boloko, where three children, who had consumed a bat, died within 48 hours. The WHO’s Africa office confirmed the deaths on Monday, underscoring the potential link between the consumption of wild animals and the transmission of zoonotic diseases.
The rapid surge in such outbreaks in Africa over the last decade has raised alarms. The WHO noted that zoonotic diseases—those that jump from animals to humans—have increased by over 60% in the region since 2012, with wild animal consumption often cited as a contributing factor.
A second wave of the illness surfaced in the village of Bomate on February 9, prompting further investigations. Thirteen samples from the new outbreak were sent to the National Institute for Biomedical Research in Kinshasa for testing. While no common hemorrhagic fever viruses were detected, some samples tested positive for malaria.
This isn’t the first time Congo has faced mysterious illness outbreaks. A similar situation unfolded last year, where a flu-like disease that claimed dozens of lives was later identified as likely being malaria.
Health authorities continue to investigate the source and nature of the disease, as efforts to contain the outbreak remain underway.
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