Thursday, January 9, 2025

December 9, 2024

WHO Sounds Warning After Mystery ‘Disease X’ Kills Over Hundred In Congo

Laboratory tests are underway to determine the exact cause.

[imagesource:WHO.org]

An undiagnosed disease in Congo causing flu-like symptoms has now infected more than 400 people since October, and health officials are sounding the alarm.

The disease has reportedly killed 143 people, mostly children, as health officials have struggled to address the mystery outbreak.

The disease causes fever, headaches, cough, runny nose, and body aches. It particularly affects children under the age of five and women. The first known case was identified on 24 October 2024, with the first recorded fatality recorded on 10 November 2024.

According to the WHO, the most severe instances occur among persons who are very malnourished. Acute pneumonia, influenza, COVID-19, measles, and malaria are all considered potential ‘causal factors’. The remoteness of the affected area has hindered access to treatment and supplies, as well as proper diagnosis and response efforts to this deadly disease.

Early indications are that the disease is a respiratory illness, according to Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

University of California epidemiologist Ann Rimoin told reporters “It could be anything . . . it could be influenza, it could be Ebola, it could be Marburg, it could be meningitis, it could be measles. At this point, we just really don’t know.”

Labelled ‘Disease X’, the illness appears to be transmissible as cases have been observed within family groups. The WHO evaluates a “high” risk level in the afflicted areas, but a moderate risk level nationwide because the epidemic is limited to the Panzi health zone.

The WHO has asked for more cooperation at the national and local levels, as well as improved communication infrastructure, due to the impacted areas’ poor network coverage.

“Laboratory tests are underway to determine the exact cause. At this stage, it is also possible that more than one disease is contributing to the cases and deaths.”

After five years, the COVID-19 pandemic is still fresh in our memories, but despite a scary monicker like ‘Disease X’, there’s no need to panic.

[source:forbes]

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