More than 50 people are killed by an unknown ailment in the northwest DRC.

An unidentified disease initially found in three children who consumed a bat has resulted in the deaths of over 50 individuals in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in the last five weeks, as reported by health officials.  As of 16 February, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported in a bulletin that there have been 431 cases and 53 fatalities from two outbreaks in isolated villages in Équateur province.

“The outbreaks, which have seen cases rise rapidly within days, pose a significant public health threat. The exact cause remains unknown,” a WHO spokesperson, Tarik Jašarević, told a briefing on Tuesday

He pointed out that the villages possess restricted health infrastructure and surveillance capabilities. The more significant outbreak, reported on 13 February from Bomate village in the Basankusu health zone, has claimed 45 lives among 419 cases.

The time from when symptoms begin – including fever, vomiting, and internal bleeding – to death has typically been 48 hours in many instances, and “that’s what’s truly concerning,” stated Serge Ngalebato, medical director of Bikoro hospital, a regional monitoring facility.

Samples from 13 cases have returned negative results for Ebola and Marburg; however, the WHO indicated that local health teams are investigating other possible causes, such as malaria, food poisoning, typhoid, meningitis, or other viral hemorrhagic fevers. The WHO reported an earlier outbreak from Boloko village in the Bolomba health zone on January 21, which resulted in eight deaths among 12 cases.

This outbreak was linked to three fatalities among children younger than five in the village earlier that month. Symptoms like fever and exhaustion advanced to hemorrhagic indicators, including nosebleeds and blood in vomit. Reports suggested that the children consumed a deceased bat prior to becoming unwell.

The additional cases were discovered in Boloko and the adjacent Dondo village, all exhibiting comparable symptoms. The WHO stated that no connections had been identified between the two clusters of cases.