CDC monitors outbreak of deadly, unknown disease in Democratic Republic of Congo
The unknown disease has killed at least 53 people in the DRC's northwestern Equateur province, with the last death reported on Feb. 22, according to a Monday update from the World Health Organization.
Partner Content
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is closely monitoring an outbreak of a deadly disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo. (File Photo credit: James Gathany/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention via Wikimedia Commons.)
March 5 (UPI) -- Federal health officials are monitoring the outbreak of a deadly and mysterious disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed to UPI.
In an email statement, a CDC spokesperson told UPI that they are speaking with local health officials about the outbreak.
"CDC is monitoring the situation closely and engaging with DRC officials on what support the agency can offer," the spokesperson said.
The unknown disease has killed at least 53 people in the DRC's northwestern Equateur province, with the last death reported on Feb. 22, according to a Monday update from the World Health Organization. The first cluster of 24 deaths was reported on Feb. 9. Fifty of the deaths occurred in the same village.
Young men appear to be disproportionately affected by the unknown disease, which the WHO said had a median time from onset of symptoms to death of one day.
Possible chemical poisoning or a rapid onset bacterial meningitis are working hypotheses that WHO officials have developed "given the rapid decline in the incidence of reported deaths, their geographic clustering, the age profile of deaths and the rapid disease progression in the initial cluster," it said in the update.
However, "the definitive cause of illness remains undetermined," it said.
Samples have tested negative for Ebola and Marburg viruses, but additional field investigations and laboratory testing is ongoing, it said, adding that toxicological analysis of environmental samples, including water, was ongoing.
There have been more than 1,300 patients with symptoms matching the working suspected case definition as of Feb. 25, it said, with about half of them testing positive for malaria.
Symptoms reported include fever, chills, headaches, muscle aches abdominal pain, diarrhea, sweating dizziness, shortness of breath and others.
"With the available information, WHO assesses the local public health risk as moderate, and the national and global health risk as low," it said.
A provincial rapid response team arrived on the scene Feb. 16, with a WHO team joining them Feb. 23.
WHO is supporting investigations and increasing surveillance, it said.
Report a Typo
