
Two clusters of unknown illness kill 50 in Democratic Republic of Congo
LONDON, Feb 25 (Reuters) - More than 50 people have died in recent weeks in two clusters of illness cases with unknown cause being investigated in northwest Democratic Republic of Congo, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday.
As of February 16, there have been 431 cases and 53 deaths in two outbreaks in remote villages in separate health zones in Equateur province, the WHO said in a bulletin, opens new tab. The country is roughly the size of Western Europe.
"The outbreaks, which have seen cases rise rapidly within days, pose a significant public health threat. The exact cause remains unknown," WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic told a briefing on Tuesday.
The villages have limited surveillance capacity and health infrastructure, he noted.
The larger outbreak, reported on 13 February from Bomate village in Equateur's Basankusu health zone, has killed 45 people out of 419 cases. Almost half died within 48 hours of falling ill, the WHO said, with symptoms including fever, pain, vomiting and diarrhoea.
Samples from 13 cases have tested negative for Ebola and Marburg, but the WHO said health teams were locally investigating other potential causes, including malaria, food poisoning, typhoid, meningitis or other viral haemorrhagic fever.
An earlier outbreak, involving eight deaths among 12 cases, was reported from Boloko Village in Bolomba health zone on January 21, WHO said.
This outbreak was traced back to three deaths among children under five years old in the village earlier that month. Symptoms including fever and fatigue progressed to haemorrhagic signs such as nosebleeds and vomiting blood.
Reports indicated that the children had eaten a dead bat before falling ill.
The other cases were found in the same village and nearby Dondo village, all with similar symptoms. At the end of January, samples taken from patients all tested negative for Ebola and Marburg.
The WHO said no links have been established between the two clusters of cases.
"We are looking into whether it is another infection or whether it is some toxic agent. We have to see what can be done and at what point WHO can support," said Jasarevic, noting similar outbreaks in the past.
An outbreak of unknown cause reported in Congo in December was ultimately identified as malaria.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Independent
12 hours ago
- The Independent
Why China is making hospitals offer women pain relief for childbirth
China has mandated that all tertiary hospitals (over 500 beds) must offer epidural anaesthesia during childbirth by the end of 2024, with plans to extend to secondary hospitals (over 100 beds) by 2027. The initiative aims to create a more "friendly childbearing environment" amid declining birth rates in China. Currently, only about 30% of pregnant women in China receive anesthesia for pain relief during childbirth, compared to over 70% in some developed countries. The World Health Organisation recommends epidurals for healthy pregnant women, and they are widely used in countries like France, the United States, and Canada. To encourage more women to have children, an increasing number of provinces in China are including childbirth anesthesia costs in medical insurance schemes, and some provinces are extending marriage and maternity leave.


Daily Record
12 hours ago
- Daily Record
What has caused the global spike in new Covid variant 'Nimbus' NB.1.8.1?
The new 'Nimbus' strain is the latest Covid variant, and cases have been confirmed in the UK. A new variant of Covid named NB.1.8.1 or 'Nimbus' is spreading like wildfire across the globe, with India the newest country to report a severe spike in cases. This new strain has also been found in Thailand, Indonesia and China, and the UK Health Security Agency recorded its first cases in the UK last week. NB.1.8.1 originated from the Omicron variant of the virus, and was first found back in January of this year. Cases have also been reported in states across the United States and Australia. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the Nimbus variant made up around 10.7 per cent of global recorded sequences in April, a staggering increase from just 2.5 per cent in March. The new strain has been declared a "variant under monitoring" by WHO, meaning that it could change the behaviours of the virus. Nimbus has been found in 22 countries so far and presents some unusual new symptoms. Scientists have found that this new variant also spreads more easily than previous strains of Covid, which may explain the recent surge in cases. Dr Chun Tang, GP at UK private healthcare centre Pall Mall Medical, said: 'NB.1.8.1 isn't too different from the Omicron variant, but it does have some tweaks to its spike protein, which might make it spread a bit more easily or slip past some of our existing immunity. 'That said, early signs suggest it doesn't seem to cause more serious illness, but of course, we're still learning more about it.' Australian virologist Lara Herrero, of Griffith University, wrote in The Conversation last month: 'Using lab-based models, researchers found NB.1.8.1 had the strongest binding affinity to the human ACE2 receptor of several variants tested, suggesting it may infect cells more efficiently than earlier strains." WHO has stated that risk to the global public is low, and that existing Covid vaccines are considered effective in preventing severe cases of the virus. Most common symptoms of Nimbus are similar to that of previous Covid strains. They include a severe sore throat, fatigue, mild cough, fever, muscle aches and congestion. Some patients have also experienced gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, diarrhoea, or even heartburn, reported The Independent. The full list of symptoms are; a high temperature or shivering (chills) – a high temperature means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature) a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste shortness of breath feeling tired or exhausted an aching body a headache a sore throat a blocked or runny nose loss of appetite diarrhoea feeling sick or being sick While Nimbus may be more easily transmissible between people, healthcare experts are stressing that there is no evidence that the new strain is more deadly or serious than previous variants. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.


Daily Mirror
13 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
All you need to know about new 'Nimbus' Covid strain as doctors issue UK warning
The new variant, called NB.1.8.1, or 'Nimbus' has reached UK shores and the strain is making up a "growing proportion" of Covid cases worldwide Doctors have issued a warning over the new highly contagious 'Nimubs' strain of Covid, which has seen cases soar in the UK. The new variant, called NB.1.8.1, or 'Nimbus' has reached UK shores and the strain is making up a "growing proportion" of Covid cases worldwide, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). China and Hong Kong have seen a surge in cases as well as 21 other countries and 13 cases have already been found in the UK, doctors warn. Symptoms are reported to be broadly the same as earlier versions of the virus with a painful sore throat a possible key sign of the new variant. According to Dr Naveed Asif, GP at The London General Practice, the NB.1.8.1 variant has a distinctive symptom, a severe sore throat known as a "razor blade sensation". Other signs of the new strain include common Covid symptoms like fever, muscle aches and congestion as well as redness in the back of the mouth and swollen neck glands. "However, symptoms can vary widely so vigilance is key," Dr Asif told the Manchester Evening News. According to the NHS, Covid symptoms include a high temperature, a new continuous cough, a loss or change to sense of smell or taste, shortness of breath and feeling sick. While early signs of Covid once included symptoms like a severe cough, sore throat and high fever, NB.1.8.1 is felt most acutely in the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms of the variant include: Nausea Vomiting Diarrhoea Heartburn Bloating Constipation Abdominal pain The World Health Organization (WHO) added the variant to its official watch list and suggested that it is more transmissible than other strains. However, there isn't any evidence to indicate that it causes more acute illnesses. According to WHO, the strain first appeared in January and by late April it was responsible for around 10.7% of global infections, up from just 2.5% a month earlier. The strain has seen a rapid rise in Ireland in recent weeks. According to data from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC), the proportion of sequenced Covid samples linked to NB.1.8.1 jumped from 3.7% to 27.3% in the last five weeks, reports Dublin Live. People in Ireland have been urged to stay home for two days if they display any signs of Covid, with the new variant also causing gastrointestinal problems. The variant, labelled NB.1.8.1, has been flagged in the UK, US and Australia. It has also been linked to spikes in Covid cases in India, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Thailand. Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam, UKHSA Deputy Director, said: "NB.1.8.1 has been detected in small numbers in the UK to date, but international data suggests that it is growing as a proportion of all COVID-19 cases. "Based on the available information so far however, there is no evidence to suggest that this variant causes more severe disease than previous variants, or that the vaccines in current use will be less effective against it." 'Variants like this pop up when the virus mutates, which is normal for viruses, especially ones that spread widely,' explained Dr Chun Tang, GP at Pall Mall Medical. 'NB.1.8.1 was first picked up in early 2025 and has since been detected in several countries, including the UK, China and US. It's got some new mutations that scientists are keeping a close eye on.'