Over 1,000 sick and 60 dead in Congo: mysterious disease under investigation

Health emergency in Congo: mysterious disease spreads WHO intensifies investigation to identify cause of deadly outbreak in Congo, while tests rule out Ebola and Marburg

The Democratic Republic of Congo is facing a health emergency with over 1,000 sick people and 60 deaths linked to an as yet unidentified disease. The World Health Organisation (WHO) is taking stock of the situation and has launched in-depth investigations to determine the cause of the outbreak, which is mainly concentrated in the Equator province.

The situation in the affected areas

According to the WHO, several disease outbreaks and deaths have been reported in the Basankusu and Bolomba health zones since early 2025. The latest outbreak saw 141 new cases in the Basankusu health zone last week, although fortunately no deaths were reported. However, in the same area, 158 cases and 58 deaths had already occurred in early February. The health authorities continue to monitor the situation closely, with an increasing number of sick people presenting worrying symptoms.

Symptoms and complex clinical picture

Patients affected by the disease show a wide range of symptoms: fever, headache, chills, sweating, muscle and joint pain, coughing, vomiting and diarrhoea, as well as episodes of nosebleeds. This complex clinical picture has made it difficult to pinpoint the precise cause of the illness, with WHO working to rule out other known and potentially fatal diseases.

Ongoing investigation: Ebola and Marburg ruled out

Initial laboratory tests have ruled out the presence of the Ebola virus and the Marburg virus, two of the main viral threats in the region. About half of the samples tested positive for malaria, a common disease in Congo, but not enough to explain the whole picture. Further investigations are looking into the possibility of meningitis and samples of food, water and environment are being tested for environmental contamination.

Health authorities’ responses

A national rapid response team, composed of experts from WHO and the Congolese Ministry of Health, has been sent to the affected areas to intensify surveillance, conduct interviews with local communities and better understand the context of the spread. In addition, the team is providing treatment for concomitant diseases such as malaria, typhoid fever and meningitis, while samples are sent to the national laboratory in Kinshasa for further analysis.

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