Unknown disease kills 143 people in Congo, sparking new pandemic fears

An unknown disease has killed 143 people in Congo in an outbreak that has alarmed health officials and the World Health Organization.

Patients suffered flu-like symptoms including high fever and severe headaches, local officials said, with women and children reportedly most seriously affected.

Deaths are being recorded in Kwango province, in the south-west of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and on the border with Angola.

Remy Saki, deputy governor of the province, and Apollinaire Yumba, minister of health, said health officials are collecting samples and conducting analysis to identify the disease behind the outbreak.

Officials say the situation is “extremely worrying” and the death toll is rising rapidly. As of November 25, they had reported 67 deaths from the disease.

Patients suffering from the disease are reportedly dying in their own homes and struggling to get treatment. The DRC is also currently facing an outbreak of monkeypox.

Health officials have yet to report the results of the tests and it is not clear whether patients have tested negative for other common diseases.

The above shows a child being treated for monkeypox on August 15, 2024 in North Kivu province, eastern DRC.

The above map shows the Democratic Republic of Congo and highlights the province of Kwango where the outbreak has been recorded

No data has also been released on the number of patients suspected of being infected or hospitalized during the outbreak.

It is not clear which disease could be causing the deaths, but the DRC is now experiencing more than a dozen outbreaks of Ebola.

The virus, which can be contracted from fruit bats, causes a flu-like illness before patients experience nausea, bleeding and brain problems. In one outbreak declared in 2019, more than 3,250 cases and 2,100 deaths were reported.

The DRC is also currently dealing with a major outbreak of a deadlier strain of monkeypox, which has already sickened 12,500 people and caused 581 deaths.

Infections have been detected across the country, including in the province where the mysterious outbreak of the disease is recorded.

Officials in that province have not said whether they have ruled out monkeypox as a possible cause.

The situation is extremely worrying as the number of infected people continues to rise, said civil society leader Cephorien Manzanza.

“Panzi is a rural health zone, so there is a problem with the supply of medicines,” he added.

A local epidemiologist said women and children were hardest hit by the disease.

A WHO spokesperson said on Tuesday that the UN health agency had been notified of the presence of the disease last week and was working with Congo’s health ministry to investigate further.

The country was rocked by a failed presidential coup earlier this year, which led to a British citizen and three American citizens being sentenced to death by a military court.