Congo says the mysterious disease behind dozens of deaths of women and children has finally been identified as severe malaria

Johannesburg — For weeks it was simply called “Disease X.” But that mysterious flu-like illness More than 143 people – mostly women and young children – were killed in the Democratic Republic of Congo has finally been identified.

“The mystery has finally been solved,” the Congolese Ministry of Health said in a statement on Tuesday. “It is a severe malaria in the form of a respiratory disease.”

The health authority said malnutrition in the worst-hit region had weakened the local population’s immunity, making them more vulnerable to the disease. People who were infected with the malaria infection showed symptoms such as headaches, fever, cough and body aches.

Congo’s health minister had told reporters that the country was on “high alert” for the spread of the as-yet-unidentified disease, and health officials told CBS News in early December that the remoteness of the outbreak’s epicenter and the lack of a diagnosis made this difficult initiate a concerted response.

At least 592 cases have been reported after the Congolese Ministry of Health first raised the alarm on October 29. The ministry said the fatality rate from the disease was 6.25%. According to the World Health Organization, more than half of the recorded deaths were children under the age of five who were severely malnourished at the time of illness.

At a press conference on December 10, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that 10 of 12 samples from patients suffering from the mysterious illness had tested positive for malaria, but he said that testing for other diseases was still ongoing at this time would be carried out.

The Congolese government had sent a rapid intervention team made up of epidemiologists and other medical experts to Kwango province, 435 miles southeast of the capital Kinshasa. Their goal was to identify the disease and initiate an appropriate response. Government officials had previously warned locals not to touch people infected with the disease or the bodies of the deceased.

Congo has experienced numerous disease outbreaks in recent years, including typhus, malaria and anemia. The country is also struggling with one MPOX outbreakwith more than 47,000 suspected cases and over 1,000 suspected deaths from the disease, according to the WHO.

WHO-provided anti-malarial drugs have been distributed to local health centers in Congo, and WHO officials said more medical supplies would arrive in the country on Wednesday.

It is the rainy season in Congo, which often sees a spike in malaria cases and certainly complicates treatment for those most at risk.