Mystery lethal Congo virus might be one in every of two horrifying issues, says WHO

A report published by the World Health Organisation revealed a cluster of deaths in a northwestern province could be as a result of poisoning or bacterial meningitis

A deadly and yet to be identified virus sweeping through a northern province of the Congo could be as a result of poisoning or bacterial meningitis, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has reported.

A total of 53 people have been killed by the illness since the first cases were reported on February, 9 and health authorities have recorded more than 1,300 patients that meet the “suspected case definition” of the disease.

The symptoms tied to this latest outbreak include fever, chills and headaches. In a report published earlier this month, the WHO explained the symptoms seen are common in many diseases such as malaria so the “trends in cases are difficult to interpret”.

This new cluster of illnesses and deaths in the northwestern province of Equateur in the Democratic Republic of Congo comes after another disease was reported in January, which affected 12 people and resulted in eight fatalities.

However, the WHO has determined they are separate events with different causes.

The WHO suggested this latest outbreak could in part be due to malaria but also hypothesised than an “accidental or deliberate” chemical poisoning or bacterial meningitis – a life-threatening brain infection – might explain the unusual deaths.

However, current evidence suggests a downward trend in the number of fatalities since the first deaths were reported in early February with the most recent death being recorded on February 22.

The illness also seems to be clustered geographically, with most deaths confined to one village called Bomate. Based on the evidence currently available, the disease doesn’t appear to be spreading.

The WHO report said: “The definitive cause of illness remains undetermined. The majority of deaths (50) occurred in the same village.

“Furthermore, the incidence of death rapidly declined following the initial cluster, suggesting this is not an event spreading in time or place.”

The WHO determined that the illness presents a “moderate” public health risk at the local level but that the national and global public health risk remains low.

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