WHO is investigating a bizarre series of deaths in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where its flag is featured in the image. (Image credit: Hacer Keles via Getty Images)
The World Health Organization (WHO) suspects poisoning or meningitis may be the cause of a mystery illness that has reportedly killed 53 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
An unknown disease has struck residents of the northwestern province of Equateur. Since February 9, when the first cases were reported, local authorities have recorded more than 1,300 patients who meet the criteria for a “suspected case” of the disease.
This new surge in cases and deaths follows another incident reported in January that affected 12 people, including eight deaths. Both cases occurred in Equateur province, but WHO has determined that they were separate events with different causes.
According to a WHO report released on Monday (March 3), reported symptoms associated with the latest outbreak are quite varied and include signs such as fever, chills, headaches and other symptoms seen in common diseases such as malaria, making it difficult to interpret “case trends.”
The WHO suggested that malaria could be the cause of the cases, but also suggested that “accidental or deliberate” chemical poisoning or bacterial meningitis – a dangerous brain infection – could explain the unusual deaths.
“The definitive cause of the disease remains uncertain at this time,” the WHO report states. However, available data suggest a downward trend in fatalities since the first victims were reported on February 9; the last death was recorded on February 22. The disease also appears to be geographically concentrated, with most deaths occurring in one village called Bomate, indicating that the disease is not known to be spreading.
“Most of the deaths (50) occurred in a single village,” the WHO report said. “Moreover, the rate of deaths declined rapidly after the initial cluster, indicating that this is not an event that spreads in time or space.”
Two clusters
The mysterious illnesses were initially detected in three young children in the village of Boloko. Between January 10 and 13, the children reportedly died after eating a bat. More cases were then reported, infecting many more people, and a total of eight people died in Boloko and the nearby village of Danda, Live Science previously reported.
Then, on February 9, a second cluster of 24 unexplained deaths was recorded in the village of Bomate, also in Equateur Province. This second cluster became a focus for health officials, and as of February 25, 53 deaths had been recorded there.
WHO has determined that the two clusters are separate events and there is no evidence linking them to each other.
While both outbreaks “are located in Equateur Province, the health zones are separated by approximately 175 kilometers of rugged terrain, including dense forests and poor road infrastructure,” the report said. “Epidemiological investigations have found no evidence to link these separate events.” Laboratory tests showed that severe malaria was likely behind the first cluster in Boloko and Danda, according to the report.
To investigate the second cluster, local authorities began tracking anyone with a fever and at least one other symptom in the area. Between February 9 and February 25, a total of 1,318 people showed symptoms that met this definition.
But their symptoms were so varied that the WHO concluded that the number of cases likely reflected a range of fever-related illnesses that were persistently present in the community. About half of those who showed symptoms also tested positive for malaria parasites, “which is not considered unusual in a region where malaria is hyperendemic.”
Unusual deaths
53 deaths affected all
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