The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported 50 unexplained deaths that occurred in February due to a rapidly progressing disease of unknown origin in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Half of the malaria tests performed on suspected patients were positive. Eight recent deaths and a total of 12 documented cases were reported between January 10 and 27 in a community in the same province.
As of February 25, 1,318 patients exhibited suspicious symptoms, although the broad definition for cases complicates the interpretation of trends, according to WHO. Of the 53 deaths reported in total, 50 occurred in one village and primarily affected adolescent and young adult males. Following an initial cluster of 24 deaths, the incidence began to decrease rapidly, suggesting that this is not an ongoing event.
It has been determined that the average time from the onset of symptoms to death in the initial group was one day. WHO continues to investigate, considering possible causes to be chemical poisoning or rapidly occurring bacterial meningitis. Initial samples ruled out the presence of Ebola and Marburg, so field and laboratory studies continue.
Local authorities, after reporting 24 unexplained deaths on February 9, implemented a surveillance process for suspected cases with symptoms such as fever, chills, headaches, and diarrhea. Although both affected communities are in the same province, separated by difficult terrain, no evidence has been found linking the events.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding the cause of this outbreak, WHO has classified the risk to local public health as moderate, while at the national and global levels, it has considered it low due to the apparently localized nature of the event and the decrease in its incidence.
