Congo Reports 53 Deaths Linked to Mystery Illness
An unidentified illness caused 53 deaths in northwestern Congo, WHO (World Health Organisation) and local doctors reported. The outbreak started on January 21, 2025, and has led to 419 cases as of now. Doctors have reported that this illness kills patients within 48 hours.
The African office of WHO reported the first outbreak took place in the town of Boloko. It was linked to 3 children developing symptoms of hemorrhagic fever after eating a bat. All the kids died within 48 hours.
The second outbreak began on February 9, 2025, in the village of Bomate. After that, 13 cases were sent for tests to the National Institute for Biomedical Research in Kinshasa, the capital of Congo. None of the cases tested positive for common hemorrhagic fever, but some tested positive for malaria.
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Health officials have continuously warned people about the risk of diseases spreading from animals to humans. The WHO noted that in Africa, such outbreaks have increased by over 60 per cent in the past decade. Authorities and health experts are continuously investigating the current outbreak.
