{"id":135176,"date":"2024-12-09T19:01:48","date_gmt":"2024-12-09T12:01:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=135176"},"modified":"2024-12-09T19:01:48","modified_gmt":"2024-12-09T12:01:48","slug":"mysterious-fatal-disease-x-outbreak-in-congo-still-cant-be-explained-sciencealert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=135176","title":{"rendered":"Mysterious Fatal &#8216;Disease X&#8217; Outbreak in Congo Still Can&#8217;t Be Explained : ScienceAlert"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>A &#8220;mystery disease&#8221; recently struck the south-western corner of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), killing <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/congo-unknown-disease-kwango-11c96d7073ae4a0bc8ef9b2575f8d226\">between 67 and 143 people over two weeks<\/a>. The disease was reported to cause flu-like symptoms of  <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencealert.com\/fever\" class=\"lar_link lar_link_outgoing\" data-linkid=\"73066\" data-postid=\"146205\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_self\">fever<\/a>, headache, cough and anaemia.<\/p>\n<p><!-- START single\/mrec --><br \/>\n<!-- END single\/mrec --><\/p>\n<p>An epidemiologist told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/healthcare-pharmaceuticals\/unknown-disease-kills-143-southwest-congo-local-authorities-say-2024-12-03\/\">Reuters<\/a> that it was mainly women and children who were seriously affected by the disease. But little else is known about the disease so far.<\/p>\n<p><!-- START single\/mrec --><br \/>\n<!-- END single\/mrec --><\/p>\n<p>Health officials in the DRC are urgently investigating this incident to identify the cause of this deadly outbreak. Initially, they would consider possible diseases known to be endemic to the region such as <a href=\"https:\/\/journals.plos.org\/plosntds\/article?id=10.1371\/journal.pntd.0007047\">malaria, dengue or Chikungunya<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><!-- START single\/mrec --><br \/>\n<!-- END single\/mrec --><\/p>\n<p>However, they are likely to face difficulties detecting the cause because of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thelancet.com\/journals\/lancet\/article\/PIIS0140-6736(18)30458-6\/fulltext\">diagnostic testing infrastructure issues<\/a>, as well as difficulties with sample collections, transport of those samples to laboratory and testing.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_146208\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-146208\" style=\"width: 642px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sciencealert.com\/images\/2024\/12\/ProvinceInDRCongo.jpg\" alt=\"Province In DR Congo\" width=\"642\" height=\"612\" class=\"wp-image-146208 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sciencealert.com\/images\/2024\/12\/ProvinceInDRCongo.jpg 642w, https:\/\/www.sciencealert.com\/images\/2024\/12\/ProvinceInDRCongo-435x415.jpg 435w, https:\/\/www.sciencealert.com\/images\/2024\/12\/ProvinceInDRCongo-600x572.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 642px) 100vw, 642px\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-146208\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Location of the impacted province. (<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/File:Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo_(26_provinces)_-_Kwango.svg\">NordNordWest\/Wikimedia Commons\/CC BY-SA 3.0<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In low-income countries, such as the DRC, many clinical laboratories can only test for common pathogens. Limitations in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.panafrican-med-journal.com\/content\/article\/35\/22\/full\/\">quality and performance<\/a> of some of their clinical laboratories are also a problem.<\/p>\n<p><!-- START single\/mrec --><br \/>\n<!-- END single\/mrec --><\/p>\n<p>If it is not one of the usual suspects, the detection of rarer pathogens often requires samples to be sent to more specialist laboratories that can do specialised tests, such as gene sequencing.<\/p>\n<p><!-- START single\/mrec --><br \/>\n<!-- END single\/mrec --><\/p>\n<p>This could mean that samples need to be sent to laboratories abroad. However, the international sharing of such biological samples is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/journals\/journal-of-law-medicine-and-ethics\/article\/equity-in-the-pandemic-treaty-access-and-benefitsharing-as-a-policy-device-or-a-rhetorical-device\/8CF83F99B377EE9E10663EF326B71B7F\">highly contentious<\/a> over concerns that the benefits of doing so are often not fairly shared between countries.<\/p>\n<p><!-- START single\/mrec --><br \/>\n<!-- END single\/mrec --><\/p>\n<p>Another priority for local health officials is to understand the extent and severity of the outbreak. The high mortality and number of cases of people affected are alarming. However, it is not easy to work out the true extent of such outbreaks, as not all infected patients will be detected.<\/p>\n<p><!-- START single\/mrec --><br \/>\n<!-- END single\/mrec --><\/p>\n<p>Not all infected people seek care. Clinics may be few and far between, especially in remote areas, and are often understaffed. Indeed, the DRC has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/data\/gho\/data\/indicators\/indicator-details\/GHO\/medical-doctors-(per-10-000-population)\">fewer than two doctors per 10,000 population<\/a> (by comparison the UK which has more than 31 doctors per 10,000 population).<\/p>\n<p><!-- START single\/mrec --><br \/>\n<!-- END single\/mrec --><\/p>\n<p>Even if patients did attend a hospital or clinic, not all infections would be diagnosed. Not all patients would be tested for infection, and not all detected infections are reported to the health authorities.<\/p>\n<p><!-- START single\/mrec --><br \/>\n<!-- END single\/mrec --><\/p>\n<p>The lack of information about the cause, extent and number of infected people makes it hard to accurately assess the threat it poses. But this is not an isolated risk. Outbreaks of new infectious diseases have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41579-021-00639-z\">occurred regularly over the years<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><!-- START single\/mrec --><br \/>\n<!-- END single\/mrec --><\/p>\n<p>This is partly driven by  <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencealert.com\/climate-change\" class=\"lar_link lar_link_outgoing\" data-linkid=\"73046\" data-postid=\"146205\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_self\">climate change<\/a>, changing population demography, urbanisation and deforestation that enables the &#8220;spillover&#8221; of infections from animals to humans.<\/p>\n<p><!-- START single\/mrec --><br \/>\n<!-- END single\/mrec --><\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, our global infectious disease radar is broken. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S0033350623003761\">Disease surveillance is fragmented globally<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><!-- START single\/mrec --><br \/>\n<!-- END single\/mrec --><\/p>\n<p>In poorer countries, there will be many areas where diseases are not detected or are detected late. Surveillance services are often <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S0033350624000167\">poorly resourced<\/a> and understaffed, staff often lack training or supervision, and reporting may not be standardised.<\/p>\n<p><!-- START single\/mrec --><br \/>\n<!-- END single\/mrec --><\/p>\n<p>There is also often a significant delay from the time a person gets infected, and is diagnosed with the disease, to the time it is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thelancet.com\/journals\/lancet\/article\/PIIS0140-6736(21)01250-2\/fulltext\">reported to the public health authorities<\/a>. This in turn delays disease control responses to outbreaks. These problems are worse in resource-poor settings, such as in sub-Saharan Africa.<\/p>\n<p><!-- START single\/mrec --><br \/>\n<!-- END single\/mrec --><\/p>\n<h2>What solutions are being tried?<\/h2>\n<p>One  <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencealert.com\/what-does-the-world-health-organisation-do\" class=\"lar_link lar_link_outgoing\" data-linkid=\"73079\" data-postid=\"146205\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_self\">World Health Organization<\/a> (WHO) initiative being trialled in several countries across Africa, South America and south Asia, is the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thelancet.com\/journals\/langlo\/article\/PIIS2214-109X(23)00133-X\/fulltext\">7-1-7 initiative<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><!-- START single\/mrec --><br \/>\n<!-- END single\/mrec --><\/p>\n<p>This sets aspirational targets for outbreaks of infectious diseases to be detected within seven days, notified to public health authorities within a day, and seven days to complete an initial response. This is a laudable aim but it may still be too late for fast-moving outbreaks.<\/p>\n<p><!-- START single\/mrec --><br \/>\n<!-- END single\/mrec --><\/p>\n<p>Another solution is to better integrate and better coordinate existing surveillance activities and systems. One such WHO initiative is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.afro.who.int\/publications\/technical-guidelines-integrated-disease-surveillance-and-response-african-region-third\">Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response<\/a> (IDSR), which has mainly been deployed in Africa over the past two decades.<\/p>\n<p><!-- START single\/mrec --><br \/>\n<!-- END single\/mrec --><\/p>\n<p>IDSR has had mixed success so far. A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ianphi.org\/news\/2023\/ids-reports-released.html#:%7E:text=IANPHI%20was%20funded%20by%20the%20Bill%20%26%20Melinda,the%20evidence%20base%20for%20the%20effectiveness%20of%20IDS\">recent review<\/a> found information technology system issues, financial constraints and data-sharing problems, as well as workforce gaps.<\/p>\n<p><!-- START single\/mrec --><br \/>\n<!-- END single\/mrec --><\/p>\n<p>Other global initiatives include the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/initiatives\/international-pathogen-surveillance-network\">International Pathogen Surveillance Network<\/a> brought together by the WHO Hub for  <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencealert.com\/pandemic\" class=\"lar_link lar_link_outgoing\" data-linkid=\"73047\" data-postid=\"146205\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_self\">Pandemic<\/a> and  <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencealert.com\/pandemic\" class=\"lar_link lar_link_outgoing\" data-linkid=\"73047\" data-postid=\"146205\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_self\">Epidemic<\/a> Intelligence, and recent efforts to promote <a href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/publications\/i\/item\/9789240074064\">collaborative surveillance<\/a> across different agencies and sectors (from human health to animal health and the environment) to work together and share information as well as expertise.<\/p>\n<p>The effectiveness of such initiatives remains to be seen, but they are a step in the right direction. Without better disease surveillance globally, we may not detect the next pandemic until it is too late.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/245324\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" style=\"border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https:\/\/theconversation.com\/republishing-guidelines -->\n<\/p>\n<p><span><em><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/andrew-lee-146962\">Andrew Lee<\/a>, Professor of Public Health, <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/university-of-sheffield-1147\"><em>University of Sheffield<\/em><\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>This article is republished from <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/mystery-disease-kills-dozens-in-congo-what-we-know-so-far-245324\">original article<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencealert.com\/mysterious-fatal-disease-x-outbreak-in-congo-still-cant-be-explained\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A &#8220;mystery disease&#8221; recently struck the south-western corner of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), killing between 67 and 143 people over two weeks. The disease was reported to cause &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=135176\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-135176","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135176","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=135176"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135176\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=135176"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=135176"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=135176"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}