WHO Reveals These 2 Possible Causes Of Outbreaks In RD Congo

JAKARTA - The World Health Organization (WHO) suspects that two things, namely poisoning and meningitis, could be the cause of a mysterious disease that has killed 53 people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

This unidentified disease has attacked residents in northwestern Congo province. Since February 9, when the first case was reported, health authorities have recorded more than 1,300 patients meeting the criteria for 'suspected cases' related to the disease.

This outbreak came after a similar incident in January that attacked 12 people and caused 8 deaths. Although both occurred in the Province of Badminton, WHO stated that the outbreak was a separate event with a different cause.

"The symptoms of this disease are very diverse, including fever, chills, headaches, and other symptoms that also appear in general diseases, such as malaria," according to a WHO report, quoted from the Live Science page.

This makes cases of spread patterns difficult to analyze. WHO suspects that malaria can be one of the causes, but also considers the possibility of chemical poisoning, whether intentional or not, or bacterial meningitis, a potentially deadly brain infection.

"Until now, the exact cause of this disease is still unknown," wrote the WHO.

However, the data showed a downward trend in the number of deaths since it was first reported on February 9, with the latest deaths recorded on February 22. This disease does not appear to be widespread, as most of the deaths occurred in one village, namely Bomate.

"Most of the deaths (50 people) occurred in the same village," the WHO report said.

"In addition, the death rate has decreased drastically after the initial spike. This shows that it is not an outbreak that continues to spread from time to time or to other regions," he continued.

The first case of a mysterious disease was found in three small children in Bolgolo village. Between January 10 and 13, they died after reported eating bat meat. This outbreak then spread to more people and resulted in 8 deaths in Bolgolo and a nearby village, Danda.

Then, on February 9, there was a second mysterious death spike, with 24 deaths reported in Bomate Village. As of February 25, the total number of deaths in this second outbreak reached 53 people.

The WHO confirmed that these two outbreaks were separate events without links to each other.

"Although both outbreaks occurred in the Province of Badminton, these two areas were about 175 kilometers apart with difficult terrain, including dense forests and poor road infrastructure," the WHO report said.

"Edemiological investigations have found no evidence that these two incidents are interrelated," he added.

Laboratory test results show that severe malaria may have been the cause of the first outbreak in Bolgolo and Danda.

To investigate the second outbreak, local authorities began monitoring anyone with a fever accompanied by at least one other symptom in the region. A total of 1,318 people experienced similar symptoms between February 9 and 25.

However, due to its very common symptoms, WHO concluded that the number of cases may reflect various fever diseases that are common in the community. About half of the patients also tested positive for malaria parasitics, which are considered common in areas with a high level of malaria endemicity.