Mystery ‘Disease X’ outbreak widens as WHO sends rapid response team to DR Congo

More cases of a mysterious flu-like illness labelled “Disease X” were reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the World Health Organization has dispatched a rapid response team to help investigate.

Over 400 cases of the unidentified illness – marked by fever, headache, cough, runny nose, and body aches – have been reported since late October in the Panzi health zone in southwest Congo, the WHO said in a statement Sunday.

While more than half of the cases involve children under 5, a 50-year-old man hospitalised in Lucca, Italy, is suspected to have recovered from the disease after a business trip to Congo, Il Tempo reported.

Thirty-one deaths have been recorded, down from 79 reported last week, according to the WHO. The outbreak is centred in a remote rural area of Kwango province, where poor road conditions and heavy rains mean it takes nearly 48 hours to reach from Kinshasa.

The challenges of accessing the region have hampered efforts to confirm fatalities linked to the illness. All severe cases involve individuals suffering from severe malnutrition, adding complexity to identifying an infectious source.

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