Experts head into the jungle to identify mystery illness which has killed 143
A group of epidemiologists, lab technicians and infection specialists are heading deep into the jungle to find out more about the mysterious illness which has infected hundreds of people in central Africa.
The World Health Organisation is putting all hands on deck to find out what’s going on in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as a flu-like disease has left over 100 people dead, according to local authorities.
Those who fall ill have severe cough, fever, breathing difficulties, headaches and anemia. Oddly enough, the disease is affecting women and children the most – mainly those over the age of 15.
The team of experts will try to rule out other common diseases like the flu, Covid-19 and other illnesses including malaria and measles.
Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, said: ‘Our priority is to provide effective support to the affected families and communities. All efforts are underway to identify the cause of the illness, understand its modes of transmission and ensure appropriate response as swiftly as possible.’
There are concerns this could be the new ‘disease X’ – a term coined by the UN agency in 2018 to describe the unknown, hypothetical pathogen that could cause the next pandemic.
The communities affected by this mystery disease is in a very rural part of the country, making the journey there perilous.
The team making the journey into the heart of the DRC is headed up by Irish Doctor, Michael Ryan. He’s an experienced epidemiologist.
His team told the Telegraph in a statement: ‘As of December 4, the Panzi health zone in Kwango Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has recorded 394 cases and 30 deaths (Case Fatality Rate: 7 per cent) from a so far undiagnosed illness.’
The team will drive more than 500 miles, from Kinshasa to rural Panzi.
A reported 80% of the deaths from the mystery disease so far are children.
But the WHO added: ‘This is a remote area with limited laboratory and other health capacity (there is no laboratory in the region), so it’s possible that it’s an existing pathogen that hasn’t yet been diagnosed.
‘This is an undiagnosed disease rather than an unknown [one] at this time.’
What is Disease X?
Though this outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo likely won’t turn into ‘Disease X’, earlier this year, World Health Organisation boss Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said ‘Disease X’ could wreak havoc across the globe because people have failed to learn lessons from previous pandemics.
Disease X is the name given to a hypothetical disease or pathogen than humanity is not equipped to deal with.
No-one can predict where or when the next Disease X will emerge, but its existance ‘is a matter of when, not if,’ Dr Tedros said.
Disease X ‘may be caused by an influenza virus, or a new coronavirus, or it may be caused by a new pathogen we don’t even know about yet’, he added. ‘Covid-19 was a Disease X – a new pathogen causing a new disease. But there will be another Disease X, or a Disease Y or a Disease Z.’
Mpox caused an international epidemic in 2022 when it spread to more than 100 countries and killed hundreds of people – including 58 Americans.
The 2022 outbreak was caused by the ‘clade 2 strain,’ which is rarely fatal. But a strain detected earlier this year, known as ‘clade 1a,’ is much more deadly, killing one in every 10 people affected.
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