DW An undiagnosed ‘Disease X’ is spreading in a remote region of DR Congo. Can it be treated? It is almost impossible to treat an illness like the Disease X that’s spreading in DR Congo — medics don’t even know whether it is a viral or bacterial infection.
So far, the DRC has recorded 406 cases of the undiagnosed disease. Severe cases have been reported among severely malnourished people, including 31 deaths, mostly children.
The spread of the disease is currently concentrated in the Panzi district in Kwango province, located about 700 kilometers (435 miles) from the capital, Kinshasa. Panzi district is remote, with difficult-to-access roads and nearly non-existent health infrastructure.
Health officials say the disease is most likely to be an already-known illness rather than a brand new one. But they still don’t know which one.
“Reports of outbreaks with fatalities crop up somewhere in the world several times a year. Almost all turn out to be an already well-known infection with limited global consequences,” said Paul Hunter, an epidemiologist at University of East Anglia, UK, in a press statement.