Mystery illness in Congo kills more than 50 people, including children who ate a bat
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Unknown Illness Claims Over 50 Lives in DR Congo
Above: A general view of the entrance to the hospital in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), on Feb. 17, 2025. Image copyright: Amani Alimasi/Contributor/AFP via Getty Images
The Spin
Narrative A
The DRC faces dire disease vulnerability, especially regarding animal reservoirs like bats, which, in particularly close proximity to humans in the DRC, can carry several viruses like coronaviruses and Ebola. With hundreds of cases since January, the DRC's crumbling health system is struggling to cope — especially when coupled with separate malaria cases. Amid war and aid cuts, the DRC urgently needs global support to avert catastrophe.
Narrative B
While global health bodies aren't wrong to point out the need for health infrastructure investment, they do hinder countries like the DRC by falsely labeling new outbreaks as alarmist "mystery diseases." The health community often has a solid hypothesis as to what these diseases are — in many cases malaria, tuberculosis, or diphtheria — and they could be treated much faster if we stopped sensationalizing them and focused on reducing poverty and investing in health care.