Big update on ‘mystery disease’ that caused 60 deaths – global health chiefs have a new theory

Dozens of people killed by a mystery outbreak in Africa may have fallen victim to chemical poisoning, health chiefs have claimed. 

More than 1,000 people have been struck down with the as yet unexplained illness, leaving 60 dead, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), since late January. 

Worried officials quickly launched a probe to discover the cause, warning it could pose a ‘significant public health threat’ with most victims dying within just a day of symptoms appearing. 

Tests have, to date, all proven negative for Ebola or other haemorrhagic fever diseases like Marburg dubbed ‘the eye-bleeding virus’, which have been found in the DRC before. 

Now, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said the mystery cases could have been triggered by ‘chemical poisoning’ or ‘bacterial meningitis’. 

However, what exactly triggered the sudden outbreak or how the illness is spreading is still unknown, with investigations ongoing. 

In an update the WHO said numerous factors suggested an alternative to a viral disease outbreak.

These included the rapid decline in reported deaths in recent days, the fact cases were clustered to a local area, the age profile of cases and the rapid disease progression in the initial wave of patients.  

Concerned officials in the African nation have launched a probe to discover the cause of the outbreak, warning it could pose a ‘significant public health threat’ should it continue to spread uncontrolled

As such the UN-body said it was now exploring if a chemical spill or a cluster of meningitis, a serious infection of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord, could be responsible. 

‘Working hypotheses include chemical poisoning or a rapid onset bacterial meningitis cluster, on a background of malaria and other infectious illnesses endemic in the region,’ they wrote.

They added they were now conducting analysis of environmental samples, including water, to ‘explore chemical causes’.

Officials added other diseases common in the region, like malaria, could also be playing a part in contributing to illness and death.  

As of February 25, a total of 1,318 patients had suffered symptoms of the mystery illness, the UN agency added. 

Roughly half of tests taken were positive for malaria. 

According to the WHO, young adults — particularly men — appear to have been ‘disproportionately affected’ by the most recent outbreak. 

Marburg has a mortality rate of up to 88 percent. There are currently no vaccines or treatments approved to treat the virus

Cases first emerged in the town of Boloko, in north-western DRC, after the deaths of three children all aged under 5.

All three had reportedly eaten a dead bat before falling ill with haemorrhagic fever symptoms — where organs and blood vessels are damaged, causing bleeding internally or from the eyes, mouth and ears. 

By January 27, 2025, a total of 12 cases, including eight deaths, had been recorded in Boloko. 

A larger second outbreak of the mystery disease was then identified in the town of Bomate on February 9, roughly 180 kilometers away. 

Both towns are around 300 kilometers from the provincial capital, Mbandaka. 

In the fresh update, the WHO said it had dispatched a team of experts and medical supplies, including testing kits, to the area. But it did not give details on how many.

The public health risk locally therefore, remains ‘moderate’, while globally it is deemed ‘low’, the WHO noted. 

Victims’ symptoms have included a fever, vomiting, diarrhea, body aches, and intense thirst. 

Children have also reported bleeding from the nose, vomiting blood and incessant crying. 

The remote location of the villages has hindered access to patients while the weak health care infrastructure has made it difficult to carry out surveillance and manage patients. 

It marks the second time an unknown disease has hit DRC in under three months, after more than 400 people were sickened in late December in what was later linked to cases of malaria and malnutrition.