--- title: "UN Deploys Investigators as Mysterious “Disease X” Continues to Spread" description: "In Congo, international health officials have been deployed to help stave the spread of a mysterious respiratory disease." date: "2024-12-09" modified: "2024-12-09" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/un-team-disease-x-congo" categories: - "Health & Medicine" tags: - "congo" - "disease" - "united nations" - "world health organization" --- # UN Deploys Investigators as Mysterious “Disease X” Continues to Spread ![In Congo, international health officials have been deployed to help stave the spread of a mysterious respiratory disease.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* In the Democratic Republic of Congo, international health officials have been deployed to help stave the spread of a mysterious respiratory disease. The United Nations' World Health Organization said in a [statement]() over the weekend that it had sent a team to try to identify the cause of the strange illness and bolster the local response. In a post-COVID world, the stakes are high: DRC health authorities have already recorded 406 total cases and 31 deaths, and the disease is disproportionately affecting young children. Dubbed "Disease X" by the [African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention](), this flu-like illness seems to be [associated with a wide range of symptoms]() ranging from body aches and fever to cough, difficulty breathing, and anemia. Though most of the cases of this strange illness have been local to Congo's Kwango Province, the [Italian news outlet *Il Tempo* reports]() that a native of that country was hospitalized after traveling there and developing symptoms. While it remains unclear exactly what's causing this instance of Disease X — a [placeholder term]() used by the WHO and other organizations to identify unknown pathogens that could turn into pandemics — the UN is hoping that further testing will reveal the underlying cause. Because most of the recorded cases have taken place in an [extremely poverty-stricken]() and remote area — the WHO says it takes 48 hours to reach the region from the Congo's capital city of Kinshasa — testing resources ahead of the team's arrival were few and far between. The explanation could be as simple as an outbreak of an existing deadly pathogen. Or there could even be more than one disease contributing to the illnesses and deaths — especially considering that Congo often suffers from epidemics due to its [lack of access to basic medical care](). "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 WHO statement reads. "Malaria is a common disease in this area, and it may be causing or contributing to the cases." **More on disease:** [*New AI Can Accurately Detect Health Conditions By Just Looking At Your Tongue*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()