KINSHASA, Congo — An unidentified illness has resulted in the deaths of over 50 individuals in the northwestern region of Congo, as reported by local healthcare professionals and the World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday.
Serge Ngalebato, the medical director at Bikoro Hospital—a central hub for regional monitoring—expressed increased concern due to the rapid progression of the disease. He highlighted that the time between the onset of symptoms and the occurrence of death has primarily been just 48 hours.
This health crisis first emerged on January 21, with records now showing 419 infected cases and 53 resulting in fatalities. The WHO’s Africa office noted that the initial outbreak was traced back to the town of Boloko, where three children succumbed to the illness shortly after consuming a bat, displaying symptoms associated with hemorrhagic fever.
The concern about diseases crossing from animals to humans in regions where wild animals form a significant part of the diet has been longstanding. According to WHO’s 2022 findings, such outbreaks have increased by more than 60% over the past ten years across Africa.
Following the appearance of a second surge of this enigmatic disease in Bomate on February 9, samples from 13 patients were forwarded to Congo’s National Institute for Biomedical Research located in the capital, Kinshasa, for analytical testing. The WHO reported that tests conducted yielded negative results for Ebola and other prevalent hemorrhagic fever illnesses like Marburg. However, some samples indicated positive results for malaria.
This situation mirrors last year’s occurrence, where a mysterious illness with flu-like symptoms claimed several lives in another Congo region, ultimately being attributed most likely to malaria.
