‘Disease X’ has killed dozens in the Congo — here’s what to know about the mystery illness

An outbreak of a mystery illness dubbed "Disease X" has killed dozens in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), health officials say.

Up to 143 people have died from the infectious disease, the country’s deputy provincial governor, Rémy Saki, told the Associated Press on Tuesday.

The deaths occurred in the Panzi health zone of Kwango province between Nov. 10 and Nov. 25, AP reported this week.

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Primary symptoms include fever, headache, cough and difficulty breathing.

Most of those affected are children younger than 5 years old.

"At the Emergency Operation Center for Public Health and at the INSP [National Institute of Public Health] — which is in maximum alert mode — we've already positioned central-level teams who will leave within 24 hours to join the [local] health zone," said Dr. Dieudonné Mwamba, the director general of INSP, speaking in French at a press briefing on Thursday.

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The DRC’s provincial health minister, Apollinaire Yumba, urged residents to be cautious and to avoid contact with dead bodies to prevent infection, AP reported. 

The country is also requesting medical supplies.

The first cases of Disease X were reported on Oct. 24, but health authorities were not notified until Dec. 1, according to reports.

Jean Kaseya, director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, spoke at a press conference on Thursday.

"We have a delay of almost five to six weeks, and in five to six weeks, so many things can happen," Kaseya said. 

"Ongoing testing will help us to understand what is the issue."

Lucien Lufutu, president of the civil society consultation framework of Kwango province, who is in Panzi, told the AP that the local hospital is not equipped to treat the influx of ill patients.

"There is a lack of medicines and medical supplies, since the disease is not yet known, most of the population is treated by traditional practitioners," he said.

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When contacted by Fox News Digital, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it is aware of reports of an illness in southwest DRC.  

"U.S. government staff, including those from U.S. CDC’s country office in Kinshasa, are in contact with DRC’s Ministry of Health and stand ready to provide additional support if needed," a spokesperson said.

The Congo is already grappling with an ongoing outbreak of mpox, a viral disease caused by an orthopoxvirus. A global emergency was declared in August.

In recent weeks, health officials have reported between 200 and 300 confirmed mpox cases weekly, according to data from the World Health Organization (WHO).

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Fox News Digital also reached out to the Africa CDC and WHO requesting additional comment.