Mystery Disease X outbreak in Congo kills more children as health officials reveal risk level for America
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A mystery illness being dubbed 'disease X' has infected more than 400 and killed dozens of children in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The WHO sent investigators to the remote Panzi region in the southwest of the country last week to help with outbreak, who have now issued their first report of the situation.
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The agency said Sunday that, since October 24, there have been 406 cases and 31 deaths - mostly children - from the undiagnosed disease, though the true number is likely higher than this. That official figure only includes patients who died in hospital and not those who died at home.
Exactly what's causing the illnesses is still not clear. Rapid response teams at the say it could be pneumonia, flu, Covid, measles, malaria, E. coli infection or a combination of many of those infections hitting at once. The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is calling the infection 'disease X' until the source is confirmed.
The WHO said the risk from the disease to people in the local area was 'high', while marking the rest of the DRC as at 'moderate' risk. Internationally, however, it said that the disease posed a 'low' risk. The CDC has told DailyMail.com it stands ready to help the country.
2018: Congolese officials and the World Health Organization officials wear protective suits as they participate in a training against the Ebola virus near the town of Beni in North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Affected patients are mostly children under 14 years old and are suffering from a range of flu-like symptoms including a fever, cough, fatigue and a runny nose.
