Mystery Disease in Congo Identified as Severe Malaria

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Facts

  • A disease previously called "Disease X," which killed 143 people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's (DRC's) Kwango province in November, has been confirmed as a severe form of malaria by the country's health ministry.[1][2]
  • The outbreak has affected 592 people since October, with a fatality rate of 6.2% and deaths primarily impacting children under 14 years old in the remote Panzi health zone. Over 50% of cases are affecting children under five.[1][3]
  • Patients exhibited symptoms including fever, headache, cough, runny nose, body aches, and fatigue, with many cases complicated by severe malnutrition in the affected region. Roughly 40% of the population is malnourished.[2][4][5]
  • The DRC government deployed investigation teams to the region, with the World Health Organization (WHO) providing anti-malaria medicine to local health centers.[1][3]
  • Initial testing of 12 patient samples last week showed 10 positive results for malaria, though the WHO said last week that it would continue its lab testing to confirm the diagnosis and investigate potential concurrent diseases, such as COVID, the flu, and measles.[2][4][5]
  • The Democratic Republic of Congo has the second-highest number of malaria cases globally, with the disease being the country's leading cause of death and accounting for 12% of worldwide malaria fatalities.[3][6]

Sources: [1]CBS, [2]The Guardian, [3]Al Jazeera, [4]EuroNews, [5]Forbes and [6]The Sun.

Narratives

  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by WHO, Inside Medicine and Science Feedback. Identifying this disease is a great step toward targeted interventions, but further testing is needed to rule out other diseases with overlapping symptoms. The region's low vaccination rates and malnutrition also worsen outcomes, necessitating international aid. This further proves the importance of pandemic preparedness models such as "Disease X," which helps global institutions remain vigilant in their fight against current and future outbreaks.
  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by ZeroHedge and Patientmakt. The WHO's use of "Disease X" has been a fear-mongering tactic for over a year, even before the DRC's mystery illness emerged, often linked to promoting global control via health treaties. The term, not found in pathology textbooks, has been used by the WEF and WHO to suggest a pathogen 20 times deadlier than COVID, fueling panic without evidence. We now know that the DRC disease is malaria, but the WHO's narrative has already been set.