Mystery illness in DR Congo claims 53

The World Health Organization and doctors in the Democratic Republic of Congo have reported an unknown illness that has so far killed 53 people in the northwestern region of the country.

Reports indicate that a significant portion of deaths from the mysterious illness is taking place within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms.

The WHO Africa Regional Office has noted that since January, at least 431 cases have been reported of individuals suffering from fever, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle aches, headaches and fatigue. WHO officials further added that the origin of the disease, which has a fatality rate of 12.3 percent, was traced to the village of Boloko, where three children under the age of 5 died after reportedly eating a bat carcass.

"With support from our staff and health partners, some critical medical supplies and commodities for case management, laboratory testing, and infection prevention and control are being dispatched to the affected health zones," WHO said in the statement.

"Urgent action is needed to accelerate laboratory investigations, improve case management and isolation capacities, and strengthen surveillance and risk communication. The remote location and weak healthcare infrastructure increase the risk of further spread, requiring immediate high-level intervention to contain the outbreak," it added.

Matshidiso Moeti, acting WHO regional director for Africa, added that all efforts are underway to identify the cause of the illness, understand its modes of transmission and ensure an appropriate response as swiftly as possible.

Unknown cause

Despite the unknown disease presenting symptoms that are commonly linked to known deadly viruses, such as Ebola, dengue, Marburg and yellow fever, WHO researchers have ruled these out based on tests of more than a dozen samples collected so far.

The scientists are currently undertaking differential diagnoses to ascertain when the symptoms have nothing to do with common ailments in the region like malaria, viral hemorrhagic fever, food or water poisoning, typhoid fever and meningitis.

The disease outbreak comes at a time when the DR Congo is struggling with internal conflict with reports indicating that at least 7,000 people have died in fighting in the eastern parts of the country since the M23 rebels renewed their advances in January.

While addressing a high-level meeting of the UN's Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday, Judith Suminwa Tuluka, DR Congo's prime minister, said the war had left about 450,000 people without shelter after the destruction of 90 displacement camps.

In the recent past, there have been rising concerns about diseases being transmitted from animals to humans.