The mysterious illness that has affected hundreds of people in DR Congo and claimed 37 lives is most likely malaria, exacerbated by the population's vulnerability, according to the African Centre for Disease Control (CDC).
"The most probable hypothesis is malaria based on malnutrition," said Dr Ngashi Ngono from the African CDC. The health agency is still awaiting results of an investigation. He noted that the theory of a "viral haemorrhagic disease" occurring "against a background of malaria," which is endemic in the region, especially during the rainy season, cannot be ruled out.
The majority of the more than 500 cases since October have been identified in children younger than five years old, weakened by a lack of food.
The outbreak in the remote province of Kwango raised concerns that the disease could potentially spread globally, just a few years after the Covid-19 crisis. Initial reports of the disease, initially dubbed 'Disease X', suggested that it might be airborne.
The illness was first reported in Panzi, but national authorities were not alerted until five weeks later, on 1 December. Difficulties in obtaining good samples at a national laboratory in Kinshasa, about 700 km from the outbreak zone, have delayed identification.
The World Health Organization (WHO) also suspects that known diseases are the cause of the outbreak.
