Unknown disease worries the WHO: it has already caused 5 deaths in Burundi and affected 35 people

©Fusion Medical Animation via Unsplash

In the Mpanda district of northern Burundi, a disease of unknown origin has killed five people and affected 35 others. The World Health Organization has made the matter public, stating that investigations are underway with the support of local partners.

Laboratory tests have already ruled out some of the most feared hypotheses: results were negative for Ebola, Marburg virus, Rift Valley fever, yellow fever and Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever. The first cases date back to March 30, and mainly concern members of the same household and their closest contacts, suggesting a relatively limited transmission for the moment.

Disease symptoms that worry experts

The clinical picture is worrying: patients present with fever, vomiting, diarrhea and blood in the urine. In the most severe cases, jaundice and anemia are also observed. Medical teams are exploring a number of possibilities, including dengue fever and leptospirosis, to determine whether this is a previously known pathogen or something entirely new.

On the ground, a joint team of experts, supported by the United Nations, is operational, and Gavi, the organization that works for access to vaccination in developing countries, is also involved in the investigations.

This is not the first time Burundi has been confronted with a situation of this kind. In 2023, an unidentified disease caused several rapid deaths in the north-west of the country, without its origin ever being clarified. To further complicate matters, cholera continues to circulate in the country: by 2025, over 3,500 cases had been recorded, while transmission remains active in 2026.

(©GreenMe.it 2026/Managing editor : Selma Keshkire - The Press Junction/Picture : Fusion Medical Animation via Unsplash)