Congo’s mysterious disease kills more than 50 people, including kids who eat bats

According to doctors from Central African countries and the World Health Organization, an unknown disease killed more than 50 people in the northwest of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Serge Ngalebato, medical director of the regional monitoring center Bikoro Hospital, in most cases, the interval between symptoms and death is only 48 hours, “it’s really worrying.”

The latest disease outbreak in Congo began on January 21, with 419 cases recorded as of Monday, including 53 deaths.

According to the World Health Organization’s Africa Office, the first outbreak in Boroko town began eating a bat and died within 48 hours of symptoms of hemorrhagic fever.

Have been worried for a long time Diseases from animals to humans In places where wild animals are commonly consumed. The WHO said in 2022 that the number of such outbreaks in Africa has increased by more than 60% over the past decade.

The WHO said the second outbreak of the current mysterious disease began on February 9 in the town of Bomate, and samples of 13 cases have been sent to the National Institute of Biomedical Research in the Congolese capital Kinshasa for testing.

All samples are negative Ebola virus or other common hemorrhagic fever disease Horse Fort. Some tests positive malaria.

Last year, another mysterious flu-like disease killed More than 143 people Another part of the Congo was identified as malaria.

In recent years, Congo has suffered a number of outbreaks of disease, including typhoid fever, malaria and anemia. The country has recently also MPOX outbreakAccording to the WHO, there are more than 47,000 suspected cases and more than 1,000 deaths from the disease.