A mysterious illness dubbed “Disease X” has spread to over 400 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The outbreak, which began in late October, is marked by fever, headache, cough, and body aches. So far, 31 deaths have been reported, although this number has decreased from last week.
The outbreak is concentrated in a remote rural area of Kwango province, making it difficult for medical teams to reach affected areas. Poor road conditions and heavy rains have slowed down the response efforts, leading to delayed identification of fatalities linked to the illness.
In addition to these challenges, many severe cases involve individuals suffering from malnutrition, which complicates the investigation. The WHO has deployed a rapid response team to investigate the outbreak, including collecting samples for laboratory testing and searching for additional cases within health facilities and at the community level.
Source: https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3289955/mystery-disease-x-outbreak-widens-who-sends-rapid-response-team-dr-congo