Unknown illness kills over 50 in Congo with hours between symptoms and death

A health worker gets her temperature checked during the launch of the mpox vaccination campaign at the General Hospital of Goma, Oct. 5, 2024.[VOA]

An unknown illness has killed over 50 people in northwestern Congo, according to doctors on the ground and the World Health Organization on Monday.

The interval between the onset of symptoms and death has been 48 hours in the majority of cases, and "that's what's really worrying," Serge Ngalebato, medical director of Bikoro Hospital, a regional monitoring center, told The Associated Press.