An unidentified illness has killed more than 50 people in the north-west region of Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
As reported by Guardian, the outbreak, which has caused 431 cases and 53 deaths over the period of five-weeks, was first discovered in three children who ate a dead bat.
Tarik Jašarević, a spokesperson for World Health Organisation (WHO) shared in a briefing on Tuesday, February 25, "The outbreak, which have seen cases rise rapidly within days, pose a significant public health threat. The exact cause remains unknown,"
The symptoms include fever, vomiting, internal bleeding and eventual death in some cases within 48 hours, which Serge Ngalebato, medical director of Bikoro hospital described as, "really worrying."
Samples taken from 13 cases have tested negative for Ebola and Marburg, but the WHO shared that health teams were locally investigating other potential causes, including malaria, food poisoning, typhoid or other viral hemorrhagic fevers.
An earlier outbreak, involving eight deaths among 12 cases, was reported from Boloko village in the Bolomba health zone on January 21, 2025.
The outbreak was traced back to the death of three children under five years old, who fell ill after eating a dead bat.
Other cases were found in Boloko and the nearby Dondo village with similar symptoms, although WHO revealed that no links had been established between the two.
Last year, another mystery flu-like illness, which killed dozens of people in Congo, was discovered to be malaria.
