A mystery illness has so far claimed at least 53 lives after an initial outbreak came when three children ate a bat – a health expert says one aspect of the outbreak is particularly ‘concerning’
The unknown illness that has caused the deaths of at least 53 people is particularly “concerning”, according to an expert.
The outbreak started on January 21 and 419 cases have been recorded so far, 53 of which led to deaths. In the majority of cases, the time between the onset of symptoms and death was around 48 hours. All cases have so far come in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said the first outbreak in the town of Boloko began after three children ate a bat. They died after showing haemorrhagic fever symptoms. According to the NHS, haemorrhagic fever symptoms include fatigue, dizziness, muscle aches, loss of strength and exhaustion. Patients in severe cases can show signs of bleeding under the skin, in internal organs or from body orifices like the mouth, eyes or ears.
Dr Michael Head, Senior Research Fellow in Global Health at University of Southampton, said it is “concerning” that there have been so many cases and deaths with haemorrhagic fever symptoms reported in most of those cases.
He said: “At time of writing, there is a huge amount of uncertainty about this outbreak. Outbreaks like this will happen many times around the world. Typically, such outbreaks are brought under control relatively quickly. However, here, it is concerning that we have hundreds of cases and over 50 deaths, with haemorrhagic fever like symptoms widely reported among those cases.
“Tests have so far proven negative for Ebola and other similar viruses, but results are known for a relatively small number of cases. Tests are never 100% accurate, and it is likely that with increased testing, we will have a confirmed pathogen in some of those samples.
“The lack of healthcare infrastructure in the DRC means the public health response is more complicated. However, the country has had mpox and Ebola outbreaks in recent years, so they are experienced at addressing infectious disease epidemics.”
After the second outbreak of the current mystery disease began in the town of Bomate on February 9, samples from 13 cases have been sent to the National Institute for Biomedical Research in the capital Kinshasa for testing, the WHO said. All samples have been negative for Ebola or other common haemorrhagic fever diseases such as Marburg. Some tested positive for malaria.