OAN Staff Avril Elfie
5:55 PM – Monday, September 30, 2024
In Rwanda, eight people have died from the highly contagious Marburg virus, which is similar to Ebola, just one day after the outbreak was declared.
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The virus, which has no approved vaccine or treatment, originates from fruit bats and spreads to people through close contact with an infected person's body fluids or surfaces such as contaminated bed sheets.
It has been reported that 88% of people infected with the virus died from health complications related to the virus.
Rwanda first declared an outbreak on Friday, with six deaths reported just one day later.
Health Minister Sabin Nsanzimana said 26 cases had been confirmed so far. Eight of those infected died.
Residents are being asked to avoid physical contact and isolate if they have been in contact with someone confirmed to have the virus.
“Marburg disease is a rare disease,” Nsanzimana told reporters. “We are ramping up contact tracing and testing to stop the spread of infection.”
He further said that the cause of the disease has not yet been determined.
Nsanzimana said it can take between three days and three weeks for infected people to develop symptoms such as fever, muscle aches, diarrhea and vomiting, and in some cases death from extreme blood loss.
The U.S. Embassy in Rwanda has asked its staff to work remotely and avoid visiting the office for the time being.
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