Symptoms of mystery ‘crying disease’ sweeping Congo that kills you in hours

The symptoms of a mystery illness sweeping across the Democratic Republic of the Congo have been revealed. More than 50 people have died and there are 419 recorded cases since the first three cases were reported in the town of Boloko in January 21. Three children under the age of five fell ill after eating a bat, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said. They died within 48 hours.

This short interval between showing symptoms and death has been described as ‘really worrying’ by Serge Ngalebato, medical director of Bikoro Hospital. Local health officials said previously that the three girls suffered from a ‘hemorrhagic-like’ illness with symptoms of fever and vomiting leading to major internal bleeding.

But the most recent health department report found the girls also suffered from diarrhoea and fatigue. Other symptoms revealed in the report include neck and joint pain, sweating, and shortness of breath. Those under 59 were experiencing intense thirst while children were ‘excessively crying’, the report added.

The outbreak has been described as ‘really worrying’ by doctors, with fears that it could be ‘of significance to the rest of the world’. It’s still unknown if another known illness is behind the recent outbreak. Patients have tested negative for other hemorrhagic fevers like Ebola and Marburg virus, but about half had been diagnosed with malaria.

Following a second outbreak in the town of Bomate on February 9, samples from 13 cases have been sent to the National Institute for Biomedical Research in Congo’s capital, Kinshasa, for testing. The WHO has described the situation as a ‘crisis’ which poses a ‘significant public health threat’ in its latest weekly Africa bulletin.

It added: ‘The exact cause remains unknown, with Ebola and Marburg already ruled out, raising concerns about a severe infectious or toxic agent.’. ‘Urgent action is needed to accelerate laboratory investigations, improve case management and isolation capacities, and strengthen surveillance and risk communication.

‘The remote location and weak health care infrastructure increase the risk of further spread, requiring immediate high-level intervention to contain the outbreak.’. Dr Michael Head, senior research fellow in global health at the University of Southampton, told Metro that while it is possible this is an entirely new virus, it is more likely that it is a bug we already know about but haven’t yet managed to identify.

He said: ‘The quality of the sample, and the time of illness the sample was taken, can affect the accuracy of the test, particularly when there are likely to be other pathogens present too. ‘So whilst there is a possibility that this could be a new bug, as we saw with COVID-19, it’s still the least likely scenario. More testing has been carried out, so we should have new important knowledge very soon.’.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. For more stories like this, check our news page. Arrow MORE: LookFantastic is set to launch its 2025 Beauty Egg worth over £200 but yours from £51. Arrow MORE: Bracelet bags are the two-in-one accessory all over the runways.

Arrow MORE: ghd brings back its genius Upgrade Programme – and you could save £100 on the new ghd Chronos. Everything you love about your favourite free daily newspaper, now in your inbox. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy.