World Health Organization Expands Investigation of Disease X

Since October, an as-yet-unnamed disease has been menacing residents of Kwango, a province in western Democratic Republic of Congo. Currently known as “Disease X,” the ailment has killed dozens and infected hundreds. That’s unsettling enough on its own, but for many observers, that inevitably leads to another question: can this outbreak be contained or are we looking at something that could make a much larger impact?

Now, one of the world’s foremost agencies that deals with infectious diseases is on the ground to learn more. Writing at Bloomberg, Jason Gale and Janice Kew have more details about the World Health Organization’s mission to D.R.C. and what these scientists hope to learn there. Reckoning with an outbreak is only one issue that authorities and experts must navigate; as Bloomberg reports, significant rainfall in and around Kwango is also complicating efforts to visit the region.

“Teams are collecting samples for laboratory testing, providing a more detailed clinical characterization of the detected cases, investigating the transmission dynamics, and actively searching for additional cases, both within health facilities and at the community level,” a spokesperson for the World Health Organization told Bloomberg.

As NPR’s Gabrielle Emanuel reports, samples of the disease are currently being investigated to determine if Disease X is a new phenomenon or a resurgence of an existing disease. As Gale and Kew pointed out in their reporting, there’s a possibility that malaria could be a factor here.

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The next question: can it be replicated on a larger scale?

“There are so many things we don’t know. We want to know very quickly, what is this disease? The world is wondering,” Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention director general Dr. Jean Kaseya told NPR. Right now, a combination of national and international authorities is on the case — and soon, hopefully, they’ll have some answers.