In recent weeks, a mysterious viral disease has emerged in parts of the Western Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), leading to at least 53 deaths, officials say.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), clinicians are particularly concerned about the short period of time between the onset of what appears to be a “hemorrhagic fever” symptoms and the short period of death, which is only 48 hours.
This is the latest virus outbreak that has collided with the East African region over the past year, especially after the outbreak of Marburg and MPOX disease.
In particular, DRCs are susceptible to epidemics due to dense forests that expose people to wildlife that can carry disease, due to tropical climates where pathogens thrive. Many viral diseases in the country and elsewhere are also associated with the consumption of meat in wildlife.
Here’s what we know about the latest virus threats:
Where was the new virus detected?
The new virus was first detected in January in a remote village called Boroko in the DRC’s Ecot province. According to the WHO, it occurred in three children who ate dead bats. All three children under the age of 5 died within 48 hours between January 10th and 13th, with symptoms such as fever, chills and headaches.
Four more deaths were recorded in the same village among children between the ages of 5 and 18, all recorded in late January with similar symptoms. One person’s death on January 22nd was recorded in a nearby village in Dunda.
On February 9th, the second outbreak of the disease was recorded in a bomb.
By February 15th, according to WHO (PDF), 431 cases had been recorded with a total of 53 deaths, with a fatality rate of 10.7%. Approximately half of deaths were recorded within 48 hours of onset of symptoms.
What are the symptoms of the new virus?
According to the WHO, symptoms of the disease suggest that it belongs to a group of diseases called viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF). Recognized examples of such diseases include Ebola, Lassa Fever and Marburg virus.
Previously documented symptoms of unknown diseases in DRC include fever, chills, headaches, body pain, sweating, lower back pain, neck stiffness, coughing, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps.
What do you know about the causes and properties of new diseases?
According to the WHO, it is not clear exactly what causes the disease, or how the virus is transmitted. No clear link between the two outbreakpoints has yet to be established. The report stated that there is a possibility of “suggesting two separate health events” because there is no clear connection between the two hotspots.
According to the WHO, the main concern is that it could involve “severe infectious or toxic agents,” a naturally occurring virus, and so far has exhibited a “very high” lethal rate.
“Important Issues [also] Nearly half of deaths occur within 48 hours of one of the symptoms, including the rapid progression of the disease, and within 48 hours of the onset of the symptoms in one of the other health zones.
How did the authorities respond?
In early February, the National Institute of Biomedical Sciences in Kinshasa tested samples from 12 active cases and one deceased. Test results rule out similar hemorrhagic diseases such as Ebola and Marburg virus.
Testing and contact tracking continues in locations affected by teams of local staff and WHO officials. However, the remoteness of the two hotspots, as well as limited lab capacity, and the weakness of DRC’s healthcare infrastructure in general, could see the disease spread further, Who warned.
Meanwhile, quarantine rooms have been set up in several villages in the area, with health workers going to the community and explaining to people about the new disease.
What do experts say about new illnesses?
Some health experts suspect that viral diseases may be diseases that spread from animals to humans, due to reports of children eating bats, where viral diseases are known to carry deadly viruses to humans. In the past, viruses such as Ebola and Marburg have attacked humans who have eaten infected bats.
Dr. Zania Stamataki, an associate professor of viral immunology at the University of Birmingham, says it’s difficult to know how easy it is for humans to fight until new diseases can be identified.
“If the infection comes from a virus that comes from a bat, this shows that it is not protected, as there is unlikely to be existing immunity in humans to this new infection. [and] We are suffering from severe illness and death,” Stamataki said.
“[But] If the virus is similar to other viruses that infect humans – just as symbiont viruses resemble some cold coronaviruses – some people may endure the opportunity to recover by showing less severe symptoms,” she added.
Why is DRC particularly vulnerable to spreading disease?
The country is currently in the wake of armed conflicts in East Kivu province led by the Rebel M23 group, and recently acquired major towns in Goma (January 27) and Bukabu (February 14).
The violence there has already devastated the healthcare infrastructure in the region, causing massive evacuations in recent months. The hospital is overwhelmed and workers are also attacked.
What other diseases have hit the area recently?
MPOX
Currently, MPOX outbreaks are ongoing in the region. DRC health officials and WHO have raised concerns about a 4.9% mortality rate (4.9%) in June last year and a new, more infectious variant discovered in Kamitsuga, South Kivu province in August.
Over 2,400 cases of the disease and five deaths were reported between November 25th and January 5th. The DRC had reported a total of 11,834 and 1,304 deaths by February 23, as of February 23, according to the African Centre for Disease Control.
Recent shipments of MPOX vaccines from western donors such as the US, Japan and the European Union have allowed staff to provide the vaccine to at least 50,000 people by December. The number of vaccines needed to cover the country’s 105 million population is unknown.
The virus has also spread to nearby Burundi, Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya, but in small numbers.
malaria
In December, the WHO reported that a newly identified severe malaria case caused 48 deaths within three months in Pansy, southern Kwango. The outbreak is ongoing.
Sudan virus
Meanwhile, Uganda has a newly documented case of the Sudan virus (in the same family as the Ebola virus). Since January 30th, nine cases and one death have been confirmed.
Marburg Virus
Tanzania is facing an outbreak of the Marburg virus in the northwest Kagera district. Since January, 10 cases have been reported, including two confirmed cases and eight possible cases. Everything brought death.
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