An unknown disease has appeared in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), killing hundreds, with an increase in deaths among children. According to reports by the World Health Organization, between October 24 and December 5, 2024, there were 406 cases of the disease.
About the Outbreak
Reported Cases and Deaths:
The DRC’s Ministry of Public Health alerted the WHO to a rising death toll associated with an unidentified disease. So far, there have been 31 deaths, with the most severe number among children under the age of 15. Of the victims, 71% were children, with a substantial portion being less than five years old.
Symptoms:
The symptoms of the disease include fever, headache, cough, runny nose, and body aches. The WHO has revealed that most of the critically ill cases were also extremely malnourished; this could be a contributing factor to the severity of the illness.
Geographic and Logistical Challenges
The outbreak is mainly reported from the health zone of Panzi in the rural and isolated province of Kwango in DRC. The outbreak worsens during the rainy season, and this complicates the efforts of access to the affected areas.
Diagnostic Delays:
The shortage of diagnostic facilities in the area has delayed the identification of the cause of the disease. The WHO has identified that this lack of infrastructure, coupled with the ongoing logistical challenges, has hindered a swift and comprehensive investigation.
Ongoing Investigation and Response
The WHO responded to the outbreak by despatching teams of experts to the health zone to analyze the cause. The teams collect samples taken for laboratory examination and will also be assessing any observed transmission patterns.
Probable causes:
The exact cause remains to be identified, but WHO suspects a number of probable diseases such as acute pneumonia, influenza, COVID-19, measles, and malaria. It has also reported that malnutrition might be contributing to the aggravation of the situation because severe cases were mostly reported by the malnourished population.
Testing samples:
The WHO continues testing samples to identify the exact pathogen responsible for the outbreak. It has also highlighted that several diseases could be contributing to the situation.
Public Health Response and Next Step
Deployed Teams of Rapid Response:
Efforts to boost local healthcare infrastructure, increasing detection at new case levels by reinforcing both community and health facility levels to bring about case examination and prevent the increase in new cases due to this outbreak.
Continuous Monitoring:
Continuously, the WHO follows all the trends of the outbreak so that updates can be received as soon information becomes more available. They also act proactively to manage things so that there is no greater loss of life.
