WHO Provides Update on Mystery ‘Disease X’ That Has Left Dozens Dead in Congo
Officials from the World Health Organization (WHO) issued an update on an “undiagnosed disease” reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in recent weeks that has left dozens dead, saying “rapid response” teams are collecting samples.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
This indicates that the corporate media and biopharmaceutical complex have already launched a coordinated fear campaign to hype up their long-awaited Disease X. Strangely, we still don’t have concrete answers as to what this ‘Disease X’ actually is, even after Jean Kaseya, the head of Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told reporters on December 5th that more details about the disease should be known in the next two days. However, it took five days for the first results to be shared: on December 10th, the World Health Organization said “Of the 12 initial samples collected, 10 tested positive for malaria, although it’s possible that more than one disease is involved.”
Today, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention live streamed a special briefing regarding the so-called ‘Disease X’. In the briefing, they shared that the samples they received “are of poor quality” and were “poorly preserved”. As a result, the lead investigator stated, “Therefore, I don’t think we will obtain any relevant information.”
The Africa CDC briefing also reported an increase of 147 cases since last week, bringing the total case count to 527. 32 deaths were recorded in health facilities, while 44 were reported at the community level.
While initial lab results suggest this could simply be malaria, the coordinated fear campaign persists. Even the most recent Africa CDC briefing overlooks the possibility that it could be malaria. This raises questions about whether something else might be at play. We will continue to monitor the situation closely.
Nicolas Hulscher, MPH, Epidemiologist and Foundation Administrator, McCullough Foundation contributed to this report.
In a statement on Dec. 8, 2024 from the WHO, the U.N. health body said that the disease, dubbed by some media outlets and an African health body as “disease X” in recent days, had led to 406 cases, leaving 31 people dead, as of Dec. 5. The outbreak is primarily occurring in the Panzi health zone in Kwango province, described as a rural and remote area.
Authorities in Congo have confirmed 71 deaths, including 27 people who died in hospitals and 44 in the community in the southern province of Kwango, Congolese Health Minister Roger Kamba said on Dec. 5.
The deaths were recorded between Nov. 10 and Nov. 25 in the Panzi health zone. There were about 380 cases, almost half of whom were children younger than age 5, according to the health minister.
Meanwhile, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) provided a different figure—376 cases and 79 deaths—with the difference related to problems with surveillance and case definition, according to Dr. Jean Kaseya, who heads the organization.
All severe cases occurred in people who “were reported to be severely malnourished,” and the majority of those cases were reported among children, namely those younger than age 5, the WHO stated in its update.
“The area is rural and remote, with access further hindered by the ongoing rainy season,” the WHO said in its statement. “Reaching it from Kinshasa by road takes an estimated 48 hours. These challenges, coupled with limited diagnostics in the region, have delayed the identification of the underlying cause.”
WHO response teams are collecting samples for laboratory testing, and they will be searching for additional cases, according to the statement.
“Given the clinical presentation and symptoms reported, and a number of associated deaths, acute pneumonia, influenza, COVID-19, measles, and malaria are being considered as potential causal factors with malnutrition as a contributing factor,” the health body stated. “Malaria is a common disease in this area, and it may be causing or contributing to the cases.”
Although no cause has been revealed yet, “it is also possible that more than one disease is contributing to the cases and deaths,” the WHO stated
However, it said that “the overall risk level to the affected communities is assessed as high.”
Symptoms include fever, headache, cough, runny nose, and body aches, according to the WHO. Additional details about the signs and symptoms, or how the disease could spread, were not disclosed.
In separate remarks on Dec. 10, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the health body was informed of the disease about two weeks ago and that “most of the cases and deaths are in children under 14 years of age.”
“Of the 12 initial samples collected, 10 tested positive for malaria, although it’s possible that more than one disease is involved,” Ghebreyesus said. “Further samples will be collected and tested to determine the exact cause or causes.”In addition to the WHO, the Africa CDC sent its own team to investigate what it called “disease X,” which it said refers “to an unknown pathogen with the potential to cause severe illness and widespread public health impacts.”
Kaseya said the Africa CDC team will attempt to help “identify and address this emerging threat” and provide what he called “sustainable solutions.”
The deaths were recorded between Nov. 10 and Nov. 25 in the Panzi health zone. There were about 380 cases, almost half of whom were children younger than age 5, according to the health minister.
Meanwhile, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) provided a different figure—376 cases and 79 deaths—with the difference related to problems with surveillance and case definition, according to Dr. Jean Kaseya, who heads the organization.
All severe cases occurred in people who “were reported to be severely malnourished,” and the majority of those cases were reported among children, namely those younger than age 5, the WHO stated in its update.
“The area is rural and remote, with access further hindered by the ongoing rainy season,” the WHO said in its statement. “Reaching it from Kinshasa by road takes an estimated 48 hours. These challenges, coupled with limited diagnostics in the region, have delayed the identification of the underlying cause.”
WHO response teams are collecting samples for laboratory testing, and they will be searching for additional cases, according to the statement.
“Given the clinical presentation and symptoms reported, and a number of associated deaths, acute pneumonia, influenza, COVID-19, measles, and malaria are being considered as potential causal factors with malnutrition as a contributing factor,” the health body stated. “Malaria is a common disease in this area, and it may be causing or contributing to the cases.”
Although no cause has been revealed yet, “it is also possible that more than one disease is contributing to the cases and deaths,” the WHO stated
However, it said that “the overall risk level to the affected communities is assessed as high.”
Symptoms include fever, headache, cough, runny nose, and body aches, according to the WHO. Additional details about the signs and symptoms, or how the disease could spread, were not disclosed.
In separate remarks on Dec. 10, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the health body was informed of the disease about two weeks ago and that “most of the cases and deaths are in children under 14 years of age.”
“Of the 12 initial samples collected, 10 tested positive for malaria, although it’s possible that more than one disease is involved,” Ghebreyesus said. “Further samples will be collected and tested to determine the exact cause or causes.”In addition to the WHO, the Africa CDC sent its own team to investigate what it called “disease X,” which it said refers “to an unknown pathogen with the potential to cause severe illness and widespread public health impacts.”
Kaseya said the Africa CDC team will attempt to help “identify and address this emerging threat” and provide what he called “sustainable solutions.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
'Disease X' Situation Update by Nicolas Hulscher, MPH
In the last few weeks, an unidentified flu-like illness has been detected in the Democratic Republic of the Congo amidst warnings from the Biopharmaceutical Complex about imminent pandemics. Ever since, the mainstream media and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have coined the illness as “Disease X”:
This indicates that the corporate media and biopharmaceutical complex have already launched a coordinated fear campaign to hype up their long-awaited Disease X. Strangely, we still don’t have concrete answers as to what this ‘Disease X’ actually is, even after Jean Kaseya, the head of Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told reporters on December 5th that more details about the disease should be known in the next two days. However, it took five days for the first results to be shared: on December 10th, the World Health Organization said “Of the 12 initial samples collected, 10 tested positive for malaria, although it’s possible that more than one disease is involved.”
Today, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention live streamed a special briefing regarding the so-called ‘Disease X’. In the briefing, they shared that the samples they received “are of poor quality” and were “poorly preserved”. As a result, the lead investigator stated, “Therefore, I don’t think we will obtain any relevant information.”
The Africa CDC briefing also reported an increase of 147 cases since last week, bringing the total case count to 527. 32 deaths were recorded in health facilities, while 44 were reported at the community level.
While initial lab results suggest this could simply be malaria, the coordinated fear campaign persists. Even the most recent Africa CDC briefing overlooks the possibility that it could be malaria. This raises questions about whether something else might be at play. We will continue to monitor the situation closely.
Nicolas Hulscher, MPH, Epidemiologist and Foundation Administrator, McCullough Foundation contributed to this report.
Vaccine Against Unknown ‘X’ Pathogen Is Already in the Works
In August 2023, a new vaccine research facility was set up in Wiltshire, England, fully staffed with more 200 scientists, to begin work on a vaccine against the unknown “Disease X.” As reported by Metro:
“It took 362 days to develop the Covid-19 vaccine. But the Vaccine Development and Evaluation Centre team wants to reduce that time to 100 days. Scientists at the facility will develop a range of prototype vaccines and tests.
The new lab is a part of a global effort to respond to global health threats. The UK and other G7 countries signed up to the ‘100 Days Mission’ in 2021. The government has invested £65 million into the lab.
Professor Dame Jenny Harries, the head of the UK Health Security Agency, said the new facility would ‘ensure that we prepare so that if we have a new Disease X, a new pathogen, we have as much of that work in advance as possible.’”
In the U.S., Congress also introduced the “Disease X Act of 2023” (H.R.3832) back in June 2023. The bill calls for the establishment of a BARDA program to develop “medical countermeasures for viral threats with pandemic potential.” The bill was referred to the Subcommittee on Health in early June 2023 but has not yet been passed.
The Disease X Act amends a section of the Public Health Service Act with two new clauses that call for “the identification and development of platform manufacturing technologies needed for advanced development and manufacturing of medical countermeasures for viral families which have significant potential to cause a pandemic,” and “advanced research and development of flexible medical countermeasures against priority respiratory virus families and other respiratory viral pathogens with a significant potential to cause a pandemic, with both pathogen-specific and pathogen-agnostic approaches ...”
The new lab is a part of a global effort to respond to global health threats. The UK and other G7 countries signed up to the ‘100 Days Mission’ in 2021. The government has invested £65 million into the lab.
Professor Dame Jenny Harries, the head of the UK Health Security Agency, said the new facility would ‘ensure that we prepare so that if we have a new Disease X, a new pathogen, we have as much of that work in advance as possible.’”
In the U.S., Congress also introduced the “Disease X Act of 2023” (H.R.3832) back in June 2023. The bill calls for the establishment of a BARDA program to develop “medical countermeasures for viral threats with pandemic potential.” The bill was referred to the Subcommittee on Health in early June 2023 but has not yet been passed.
The Disease X Act amends a section of the Public Health Service Act with two new clauses that call for “the identification and development of platform manufacturing technologies needed for advanced development and manufacturing of medical countermeasures for viral families which have significant potential to cause a pandemic,” and “advanced research and development of flexible medical countermeasures against priority respiratory virus families and other respiratory viral pathogens with a significant potential to cause a pandemic, with both pathogen-specific and pathogen-agnostic approaches ...”
Needless to say, since it’s impossible to customize vaccines using the conventional method of growing viruses in eggs or some other cell media in 100 days, it seems inevitable that all these efforts are about the expansion of gene-based technologies.
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