Abroad
Mystery illness in the Congo rapidly kills 53 after 3 children ate bat & died
419 cases have been recorded.
February 27, 2025, 11:47 AM
A mysterious illness with "hemorrhagic fever" symptoms has killed 53 people in northwestern Congo within 5 weeks as of Feb. 26, 2025, Associated Press reported.
Harrowingly, the interval between the symptoms and death has been just "48 hours in most cases", a doctor working in the region told AP.
The disease symptoms include fever, vomiting, and internal bleeding.
The disease first broke out in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Jan. 21, with 419 cases recorded since.
It was first discovered in three children in the village of Boloko after they ate a bat and died within 48 hours.
The children who died bled from the nose and vomited blood, the New York Times reported.
A second outbreak occurred in the village of Bomate on Feb. 9, leading to over 400 getting infected.
Based on samples drawn from patients who contracted the disease, researchers ruled out links to known deadly viruses, such as Ebola, dengue, Marburg and yellow fever.
Top photo from Canva
