Marburg Virus Outbreak: Everything You Need To Know
Six people have died due to the outbreak of deadly virus Marburg in Rwanda. Nearly twenty six cases have been identified since the outbreak, confirmed on Friday.
In the wake of the deadly virus, Sabin Nsanzimana, Rwanda’s health minister has stated that most of the victims were the health care workers, who worked in a hospital’s intensive care unit. To curb its spread, the authorities have been tracking around 300 people, who are under the speculation to be exposed to virus, mostly in the capital city Kigali.
Moreover, to control the spread of the virus the government has been implementing measures such as contact tracing, quarantining the affected individuals and launching public health awareness campaigns.
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What is Marburg virus?
The Marburg virus, belongs to the same virus family of Ebola, is highly infectious with a fatality rate ranging from 24% up to 88%, depending on the outbreak and the health care response. This virus is identified to be spread from fruit bats to humans, and through contact with the infected bodily fluids.
The primary carrier of the virus is Egyptian rousette fruit bats, which can transmit the virus to humans. Besides, African green monkeys and pigs also act as carriers of the virus. First identified in 1967, the outbreak is linked to African green monkey’s imported from Uganda. The outbreak occurred simultaneously in Marburg and Frankfurt in Germany and Belgrade in Serbia, leading to 31 infections and 7 deaths at the time.
According to the WHO, on an average, the Marburg virus kills half of the people it infects with the previous outbreak killing up to 88% of the patients.
Symptoms of the virus
The symptoms begins abruptly with
High fever
Severe Headache
Muscle pains
Three days later the infected individual may experience
Watery Diarrhoea
Stomach pain
Nausea
Vomiting
Bleeding from various parts of the body
According to the WHO, the appearance of patients at this phase has been described as showing ‘ghost-like’ drawn features, deep-set eyes, expressionless faces and extreme lethargy. Extreme loss of blood and shock may also result in death from eight to nine days after the infection.
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Spread of the virus
Among humans, it spreads through bodily fluids and contact with contaminated bedding. Even after people have been recovered, their blood or semen can remain infectious for many months afterwards.
How can it be treated?
There are no specific treatments or a vaccine for the virus, although trials are happening. But a range of blood products, drug and immune therapies are being developed, the WHO says. Doctors may be able to alleviate the symptoms by giving hospital patients plenty of fluids and using transfusions to replace lost blood.
