Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are racing to identify the cause of a mysterious flu-like illness, dubbed “Disease X,” that has killed at least 79 people and sickened 376 others since late October, Bloomberg reports.
Officials expect test results within days to shed light on the outbreak, which has particularly affected young children.
The illness, first reported on October 24 in the Panzi health zone of Kwango province, presents with fever, headache, cough, difficulty breathing, and anemia. Nearly half of the cases involve children under the age of five, according to Jean Kaseya, director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). National health authorities were alerted to the outbreak on December 1, following a delay of over a month that complicates efforts to contain the disease.
“This delay of almost five to six weeks means many things can happen,” Kaseya said during a press briefing.
Patient samples are being analyzed at a laboratory in Kinshasa, approximately 500 kilometers (311 miles) from the affected area. Preliminary results are expected to be announced this weekend, officials said. The disease is suspected to be airborne, coinciding with increased circulation of influenza in the region, noted Dieudonné Muamba, director general of the National Public Health Institute.
Africa CDC is providing support by deploying epidemiologists, laboratory scientists, and infection control specialists to aid the Congolese health system.
The outbreak underscores the ongoing difficulty of detecting and managing infectious diseases in the Congo, a country that frequently battles simultaneous health crises. The need for robust disease surveillance systems is critical, Kaseya emphasized, adding:
“This is why we are supporting the country to build strong capacity on surveillance.”
The investigation into Disease X is being closely monitored by global health experts, as such outbreaks have the potential to escalate beyond regional borders.
