An unknown illness has killed more than 50 people within hours of the onset of their symptoms in northwestern Congo, according to the World Health Organization.
Some 419 cases have been recorded including 53 deaths since the disease outbreak began in the Democratic Republic of Congo on January 21.
Doctors on the ground say the interval between first symptoms and death has been 48 hours in the majority of cases.
“That’s what’s really worrying,” said Serge Ngalebato, medical director of Bikoro Hospital, a regional monitoring center.
According to the WHO’s Africa office, the first outbreak in the town of Boloko began after three children ate a bat and died within 48 hours following hemorrhagic fever symptoms.
There have long been concerns about diseases jumping from animals to humans in places where wild animals are popularly eaten.
The number of such outbreaks in Africa has surged by more than 60 percent in the last decade, the WHO said in 2022.
Credit: Independent.co.uk