Congo is facing a severe outbreak of an unidentified illness known as ‘Disease X’, which has resulted in 79 fatalities in just the past few days. Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are working tirelessly to identify the source of the illness.
The ‘Disease X’ epidemic has impacted hundreds and caused a minimum of 79 fatalities since late October.
According to Jean Kaseya, director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, almost 200 of the 376 reported cases involve children younger than five years old.
The disease, marked by flu-like signs including fever, headache, cough, trouble breathing, and anemia, was initially identified on October 24 in the Panzi health area of Kwango province. National agencies were informed on December 1.
“We have a delay of almost five to six weeks, and in five to six weeks so many things can happen,” Kaseya said Thursday on a weekly call with reporters. “Ongoing testing will help us to understand what is the issue.”
The disease emerged amid a spike in flu cases, and specialists believe it spreads through the air, as stated by Dieudonne Muamba, head of the National Public Health Institute. Specimens from patients are currently under examination at a national lab in Kinshasa, situated roughly 500 kilometers from the outbreak region.
What studies reveal?
Officials indicated that test results are expected in 48 hours, with findings expected during the weekend.
The outbreak has revived concerns about the rise of a new pathogen capable of global spread just a few years after Covid-19 compelled nations to close borders and halted economic and social activities.
Earlier this year, a new strain of mpox circulated globally, leading the World Health Organization (WHO) to announce a public health emergency, although the virus’s transmission outside Africa has remained restricted.
The CDC in Africa is assisting Congolese officials by providing epidemiologists, laboratory scientists, and specialists in infection prevention, as highlighted by Kaseya, underlining the challenges of monitoring diseases in a nation with regular, overlapping outbreaks.
The WHO has dispatched experts, vital medications, and diagnostic tools to Kwango, helping local officials comprehend the disease’s transmission patterns. To date, the disease has been documented in seven out of the province’s 30 health zones.
As respiratory pathogens are examined as possible culprits, the WHO is additionally looking into other illnesses, such as malaria and measles.
