A mystery illness found in a remote part of Congo has been officially identified as a severe form of malaria, which has sickened nearly 600 people and killed 143.

A man in western Congo has died with hemorrhagic fever symptoms. Health authorities say that has led them to suspect that a still-unidentified virus may be involved alongside malaria in a mysterious outbreak that has killed dozens of people.

Severe malaria is the likely cause of dozens of unexplained deaths and nearly 600 illnesses in the Democratic Republic of Congo, health officials believe.

The mystery of this Disease X seems to have been solved. Now to develop an approach to handling it.

"The mystery has finally been solved," Congo's health ministry says, after an unidentified disease outbreak started killing mainly women and children in a remote region.

Earlier this month, local authorities said the disease had killed 143 people in the southwestern Kwango province in November.

The source of a mystery disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has officially been identified as malaria, the country’s health ministry said on Tuesday.

Haemorrhagic fever isn’t typically associated with parasite-caused malaria, meaning the outbreak may be caused by more than severe malaria, authorities said. View on euronews

The mystery disease's virus, which has remained unidentified for over three weeks now, is suspected to have been a factor alongside malaria in the outbreak.