WHO sheds some light on factors possibly at play in DRC outbreak While the cause of the illnesses is unknown, malnutrition may be exacerbating the situation

https://www.statnews.com/2024/12/08/drc-outbreak-who-investigation/?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9n3IYCdPOCaZQQtVvqjxoswD3s2v_RshUcS7DLRNLJmnadCIUyDXqeCQs19s1hd1k0iDCY3MymhAZW2E_n97RFUfnUsQ&_hsmi=349761000&utm_content=349761000&utm_source=hs_email An update on the ‘mystery illness’ in DRC What looks like a large and sometimes fatal outbreak in western Democratic Republic of the Congo is likely caused by a number of illnesses and in some cases, a suspected exposure to a toxic substance, Mike Ryan, the head of the WHO’s health emergencies program, said Friday. Reports of a large number of unexplained illnesses and deaths in Equateur province have garnered international attention, likely in part because this region of DRC has had several Ebola outbreaks in recent years. A report from WHO’s regional office for Africa that was released Friday said there have been 943 cases with 52 deaths in the Basankusu health zone this month. Ryan said that in casting a wide net, investigators are believed to be detecting cases caused by a variety of illnesses. Ebola and Marburg, its cousin virus, have been ruled out, but a high number of people tested for malaria have been positive. “This is a significant set of deaths and disease caused by multiple agents in a vulnerable population,” Ryan said. Local authorities believe that some of the earliest cases and deaths may have been the result of a poisoning event, where a toxin was present in water. The investigation continues. — Helen Branswell https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/380661/OEW8-1723022025.pdf?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8iwPsbrJnAJY8VJj5sgMBcAARbiESjG_0KyjG7SapmP-_JFvIvcx_vKN6-GUe4D9u4azvofBVTYEHxfbkd6pqrIF8_EQ&_hsmi=349761000&utm_content=349761000&utm_source=hs_email