An unidentified illness has claimed the lives of more than 50 people in the northwestern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo, with the World Health Organization (WHO) confirming the outbreak on Monday. The disease, which first emerged on January 21, has resulted in 419 reported cases, including 53 fatalities. Medical experts have expressed concern over the rapid progression of the disease, as most victims succumb to it within 48 hours of showing symptoms. Serge Ngalebato, the medical director at Bikoro Hospital, a key monitoring facility, highlighted this short timeframe as a major cause for concern.

The outbreak is believed to have originated in the town of Boloko, where the initial cases were linked to three children who ate a bat. Within 48 hours, the children had developed symptoms of hemorrhagic fever and passed away. The WHO has raised alarms about the increased risk of diseases transferring from animals to humans, particularly in areas where wild animals are consumed. Over the past decade, such zoonotic outbreaks in Africa have risen by more than 60%, according to WHO data from 2022.

A second wave of the disease surfaced in Bomate on February 9, prompting health authorities to send samples from 13 suspected cases to the National Institute for Biomedical Research in Kinshasa for analysis. Preliminary tests have ruled out common hemorrhagic fever diseases like Ebola and Marburg, although some samples came back positive for malaria. A similar illness that killed dozens in another part of the Congo last year was eventually attributed to malaria.

With concerns growing over the rapid spread and unclear origins of the disease, health officials are continuing to investigate its cause while working to prevent further fatalities.