Mysterious Deadly Disease in Congo Likely Malaria

Local health officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo announced that a disease which has claimed at least 50 lives in the northwest of the country this month, previously unknown in cause, is likely malaria or food poisoning. Diodone Muamba, the director-general of the National Institute of Public Health, reported on Thursday, March 9, that at least 943 people have fallen ill in the Equateur province, with 52 fatalities. Symptoms of the disease include fever, fatigue, vomiting, and weight loss. The World Health Organization stated that it has identified 1,096 cases of illness and 60 deaths that correspond with this disease. The director-general of the National Institute of Public Health told Reuters, "Currently, our diagnosis is malaria, and we also suspect food poisoning." He added, "This is not an unknown and mysterious disease, but a phenomenon related to children who have consumed the carcasses of wild animals." The World Health Organization noted in a newsletter published on February 17 that it had received reports indicating that children showing symptoms of the disease had consumed a bat carcass. According to Diodone Muamba, 12 tested samples for viral hemorrhagic fevers were negative, but 78% of the samples were positive for malaria. The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also stated that five villages have been affected by this disease, and investigations suggest that patients are likely suffering from malaria. Previously, doctors in Congo and the World Health Organization reported an unknown and mysterious disease that has claimed more than 50 lives in northwestern Congo. According to the WHO Africa office, the first case of this disease was reported in the city of Boloko when three children consumed a bat and died within 48 hours from symptoms similar to hemorrhagic fever. The New York Times reported that infected individuals exhibited symptoms such as fever, vomiting, diarrhea, and body aches. The three children who died from this mysterious disease also experienced nosebleeds and bloody vomiting in addition to these symptoms. The potential link of the disease to bats is a significant clue, as they are natural hosts for some dangerous viruses like Marburg and Ebola, both recognized as agents of deadly disease outbreaks in this region. Additionally, many infectious disease experts and U.S. intelligence agencies have been suspicious of Wuhan Institute scientists and their research on bat coronaviruses since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Concerns about the transmission of diseases from animals to humans in areas where wild animals are widely consumed have existed for years. The World Health Organization announced in 2022 that the number of outbreaks of such diseases in Africa has increased by over 60% in the past decade. Last year, another mysterious illness with flu-like symptoms killed dozens in another part of Congo, which was later determined to be "likely" malaria after investigations.