Over 50 deaths have been linked to an "unknown disease" in the Democratic Republic of Congo since January. Nearly half occurred within 48 hours of the symptoms' start.

World Health Organization officials said the outbreak appeared to originate from a village where three children died after reportedly eating a bat carcass.

The outbreak has been traced, tentatively, to three children who ate a bat, the W.H.O. said, and known threats like Ebola and Marburg have been ruled out.