Africa's Undiagnosed Disease Confirmed as Acute Respiratory Infections Complicated by Malaria

The World Health Organization (WHO) today published an updated Disease Outbreak News regarding an undiagnosed disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which was published on December 8, 2024.

As of December 27, 2024, the WHO identified this condition as an acute respiratory infection complicated by malaria.

Recent laboratory results from 430 samples indicated positive results for malaria and several common respiratory viruses, including Influenza A (H1N1, pdm09), rhinoviruses, human coronaviruses, parainfluenza viruses, and human adenoviruses.

These findings suggest a combination of common and seasonal viral respiratory infections and falciparum malaria, compounded by acute malnutrition, which has led to a rise in severe infections and deaths, disproportionately affecting young children.

This led to a significant increase in reported cases, with 891 cases documented as of December 16. However, the number of deaths reported weekly (48 deaths during this period) has remained relatively stable.

The DRC's health ministry had reported a fatality rate of 6.2%. Young children represent 64.3% of all reported cases.

The WHO wrote that this event highlights the significant burden of common infectious diseases, such as acute respiratory infections and malaria, particularly in vulnerable populations.

Additionally, the WHO recommends the programmatic use of malaria vaccines for children living in malaria-endemic areas.

The WHO and the European Medicines Agency recommend Mosquirix™ (RTS,S/AS01) and R21 / Matrix-M™ vaccines for travelers visiting malaria-endemic countries.

As of December 27, 2024, seventeen African countries are deploying malaria vaccines unavailable in the U.S.