These days, the Democratic Republic of Congo, especially the area of Panzi in the province of Kwango, is in full health alarm due to an epidemic which in just over a month, from 24 October to 5 December, has already registered 406 cases and he reaped in a short time 31 victims, especially among the children of age less than five years. The main problem that alarms not only Congo, but the whole world is that We don’t yet know if it’s caused by a bacterium or a virus and, as with other epidemics, the so-called is feared spilloverthe leap from some animal species to man. It is in fact defined “Disease X”a term used to indicate a pathogen that is still unknown, but which could give rise to epidemics or – in the worst case – a new pandemic after that of COVID-19. The Democratic Republic of Congo had already recently been hit by a monkeypox epidemic.
Panzi is a rural area that is difficult to reach, characterized by precarious hygienic conditions, malnutrition of children, very limited access to care and medicines and this makes both the diagnosis and treatment of the disease extremely difficult. The Congolese Government and the World Health Organization have sent teams of experts and specialists to collect samples for analysis and to bring relief to the population. In Italy for now there is no need to be alarmistbut the Ministry of Health has prepared an increase in checks in ports and airports and a suspected case, even if already recovered, is being monitored in Lucca.
The situation in Congo and the symptoms of the disease
The disease presents with fever, headache, cough and nasal discharge, the most serious cases manifest respiratory problems and anemia and 31 deaths. The Panzi area in Kwango province is one of the areas in the Democratic Republic of Congo with the most high rate of malnutrition, with very precarious general health conditions and very low supply capacity for medicines. Among other things, an epidemic of typhoid fever has been underway for two years. The region is difficult to reach even in normal conditions, it is in fact 700 km away and a 48 hour journey from the capital Kinshasa. Plus, the coincidence with the rainy season is making everything more difficult. To date, given the general conditions of the population, it is not yet clear whether it is the unknown disease that causes anemia or whether anemia is the debilitating condition that favors the onset of the disease.
After the first cases, epidemiologists and medical experts were sent by the National Health Authority to assess the situation. The teams present on site, from the analysis of the cases, have already put forward some hypotheses: it is a respiratory disease, which could also be linked to the seasonal flu which runs from October to March with a peak in December and does not excludes that these could be cases of Covid-19.
The syndrome strikes most of all children under 5 years of age; of the 406 diagnosed cases, the majority are young people under the age of 15, and children aged 0 to 14 years account for 64.3% of all reported cases. It is affecting very severely, especially children who are malnourished, anemic and for whom the level of vaccination coverage is unknown. Then there are 145 cases aged 15 years or older, of which 9 have died. The Minister of Health stated that the teams that arrived on site have equipment and medicines, but without a precise diagnosis it is difficult to proceed with appropriate treatment because it is not known at the moment whether it is a bacterium or a virus. It is very complicated to be able to diagnose this disease in just 34 days.
At a national level in Congo, the risk is assessed as moderate given that the epidemic is very localized, but in the Panzi region the alert is currently at its highest level. The area’s proximity to Angola also raises concerns about potential cross-border transmission.
Disease X, what is the situation in Italy
For now there is no reason to be alarmed in Italy, even if the Italian Ministry of Health has raised the level of controls in ports and airports, in particular for direct flights from Congo. Furthermore, a patient is being monitored who, returning from the Democratic Republic of Congo, was admitted to the Lucca hospital on 22 November for fever and severe anemia and was then discharged on 3 December because he had recovered. To date, given the coincidences found both for the symptoms experienced by the patient and for his origin, the San Luca hospital in Lucca has notified the Istituto Superiore di Sanità and is monitoring the person although he is now recovered.
What is Disease X and how is an infectious disease diagnosed?
The name “Disease X” does not refer to a specific bacterium or virus currently circulating. Scientists and researchers use the term “Disease X” to identify one hypothetical diseaseof which the infectious agent is not yet known which gave rise to it, but which could give rise to epidemics and pandemics. The World Health Organization has decided to include this “Disease X” in the list of priority infectious diseases for increase the level of preparation and responsiveness of research in the event that one has to come into contact with a pathogen that is still unknown. For this reason, until the nature of the pathogen present in Congo is clarified, it is defined by this name.
The diagnosis of an infectious disease is made on the basis of a series of symptoms and following diagnostic tests such as blood tests or x-rays, following which doctors make hypotheses about the presence of a possible infection. Then they will have to identify whether the infection is caused by a virus, a bacterium or a fungus.
At this point, specifics Laboratory tests allow you to identify the causative agent of the disease. It is necessary to collect organic samples from the patient such as blood, mucus, exudate, urine, feces or tissue fragments and subsequently the samples must be subjected to different types of tests; in particular microscopic examinations, cell cultures to highlight any growth of bacteria, tests that detect antibodies against specific microorganisms or genetic tests of DNA or RNA.
