More than fifty people have died from an “unknown disease” in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Local health officials have joined forces with the World Health Organization to investigate the deaths.

The latest numbers from the WHO’s Africa Region show that there are 431 cases linked to the outbreak and 53 deaths since January, according to a report by ABC News. 

Ebola and Marburg have both already been ruled out, officials say. However, some of the patients did test positive for Malaria. Nearly half of deaths occurred within 48 hours after symptoms start. The WHO further noted in its report that “the remote location and weak healthcare infrastructure increase the risk of further spread.”

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Symptoms of the unknown disease included fever, headache, vomiting, diarrhea, and fatigue. These ailments later progressed to signs associated with hemorrhagic fevers and death.

The interval between the onset of symptoms and death has been 48 hours in most cases and “that’s what’s really worrying,” said Serge Ngalebato, medical director of Bikoro Hospital, a regional monitoring center.

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This illness was first discovered in three children who ate a bat in the village of Boloko, according to a report by The Associated Press. The disease has “quickly spread” from there and all three children died within 48 hours of symptom onset, the Africa office of the World Health Organization said Monday.

The WHO has long been concerned about diseases jumping from animals to humans in places where wild animals are popularly eaten. The number of such outbreaks in Africa has surged by more than 60% in the last decade, the WHO said in 2022.

This news comes as fear mongering over the bird flu is slowly ratcheting up.

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There is not much more information available yet on this mysterious outbreak.