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- An unknown illness in northwestern Congo has rapidly killed more than 50 people in the past five weeks, with symptoms including fever, vomiting, and internal bleeding
- The outbreak began after three children ate a bat and died within 48 hours, prompting concerns about diseases jumping from animals to humans
- The World Health Organization has ruled out common deadly viruses such as Ebola, dengue, Marburg, and yellow fever, based on tests conducted so far
Congo – An unknown illness first discovered in three children who ate a bat has rapidly killed more than 50 people in northwestern Congo over the past five weeks, health experts reported.
The interval between the onset of symptoms – which include fever, vomiting, and internal bleeding – and death has been 48 hours in most cases, according to Serge Ngalebato, medical director of Bikoro Hospital, a regional monitoring centre.
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Ruling out known viruses
These “hemorrhagic fever” symptoms are commonly linked to known deadly viruses, such as Ebola, dengue, Marburg, and yellow fever.
However, researchers have ruled these out based on tests of more than a dozen samples collected so far.
The latest disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo began on January 21, with 419 cases recorded and 53 deaths.
Origin and spread of the outbreak
The outbreak began in the village of Boloko after three children ate a bat and died within 48 hours, the Africa office of the World Health Organization (WHO) stated on February 24.
There have long been concerns about diseases jumping from animals to humans in places where wild animals are popularly eaten.
The number of such outbreaks in Africa has surged by more than 60% in the last decade, according to the WHO in 2022.
After the second outbreak of the mystery disease began in the village of Bomate on February 9, samples from 13 cases were sent to the National Institute for Biomedical Research in Congo’s capital, Kinshasa, for testing.
All samples were negative for common hemorrhagic fever diseases, although some tested positive for malaria.
Last year, another mystery flu-like illness that killed dozens of people in another part of Congo was determined likely to be malaria.
FG confirms outbreak of deadly disease
Legit.ng earlier reported that the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development has confirmed an outbreak of anthrax on a farm in Zamfara State and has called for heightened vigilance and immediate measures to contain the disease.
The announcement was made on Tuesday by the director of information and public relations, Ben Goong. Anthrax, caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis, is a zoonotic disease that can affect various warm-blooded animals, such as cattle, sheep, goats, horses, wildlife, and humans.
It is listed as a notifiable disease by the World Organisation for Animal Health due to its potential to cause high morbidity and mortality.
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Source: Legit.ng
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