Doctors Alarmed as Mysterious Illness Rapidly Kills Over 50 People in Hours

Medical professionals are raising alarms over a mysterious illness in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that has claimed over 50 lives within hours of symptom onset. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that since the outbreak began on January 21, 2025, in the northwest region of the DRC, there have been 419 recorded cases, including 53 fatalities.

Dr. Serge Ngalebato, medical director of Bikoro Hospital—a regional monitoring center—expressed deep concern over the rapid progression of the disease, noting that the brief interval between initial symptoms and death is particularly alarming.

Initial cases trace back to the town of Boloko, where three children reportedly consumed a bat and succumbed within 48 hours, exhibiting symptoms consistent with hemorrhagic fever. A subsequent outbreak was identified in Bomate on February 9. Samples from 13 patients have been dispatched to the National Institute for Biomedical Research in Kinshasa for analysis. Preliminary tests have ruled out Ebola and other common hemorrhagic fevers, though some samples have tested positive for malaria.

The WHO suggests that this outbreak may stem from zoonotic transmission, where a virus jumps from animals to humans. This incident underscores the increasing frequency of such transmissions in Africa, often linked to the consumption of wild animals.

Health authorities are intensifying efforts to identify the pathogen responsible and are implementing measures to curb its spread.