Researchers are reportedly racing to develop treatments and vaccines to combat the Marburg virus, amid reports of an outbreak of the deadly virus in Central Africa.
As of September 30, 2024, Rwanda, which borders Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo, had 27 cases of the virus and nine subsequent deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It has been reported. Prevention (CDC).
Most of the cases affect health workers at two health facilities in Kigali city, the same source said.
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As noted by the World Health Organization (WHO) on September 29, the patients are being treated in hospitals.
According to the CDC, the virus is transmitted by the Egyptian free-tailed bat (Egyptian fruit bat), which lives in both Equatorial Guinea and Tanzania. (Getty Images)
“Contact tracing is ongoing and 300 contacts are being traced,” WHO said.
This is the first time Marburg virus has been reported in Rwanda.
What is Marburg virus?
Like Ebola, Marburg disease is a “rare but severe hemorrhagic fever” that can cause “severe illness and death” and has a case-fatality rate of 20-90%.
There are no confirmed cases in the United States, and the CDC says the risk of domestic transmission is low.
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“It's highly lethal in humans, there's no cure, and unlike Ebola, there's no vaccine,” said Dr. Mark Siegel, FOX News senior medical analyst and clinical professor of medicine. New York University Langone Medical Centerhe told FOX News Digital.
“It's very similar to Ebola in that it causes a hemorrhagic fever,” he added.
Marburg disease is “difficult to catch” because it requires close contact with body secretions, Siegel noted.
This colorized scanning electron micrograph taken at the NIAID Integrated Research Facility in Fort Detrick, Maryland, shows Marburg virus particles. (Getty Images)
According to the CDC, the virus is transmitted by the Egyptian free-tailed bat (Egyptian fruit bat), which lives in both Equatorial Guinea and Tanzania.
Infected humans can transmit the disease to other humans through exchange of body fluids or contaminated objects.
Marburg disease is a “rare but serious” hemorrhagic fever with a mortality rate of 20-90%.
Marburg is not new; it was first discovered in 1967, with outbreaks occurring at laboratories in Marburg and Frankfurt (both in Germany) and Serbia (Belgrade in the former Yugoslavia).
In 2023, there were virus outbreaks in Tanzania (5 deaths) and Equatorial Guineau (12 deaths).
Symptoms, treatment, prevention
According to the CDC, early signs and symptoms of the virus include fever, chills, rash with flat or raised bumps, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, chest pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Advanced stages of the disease are characterized by delirium, liver failure, shock, hemorrhage, and organ failure.
According to the CDC, most of the cases affect health care workers at two health facilities in Kigali city. (St. Petersburg)
Symptoms usually appear within 2 to 21 days after infection.
“In fatal cases, death most often occurs within eight to nine days after the onset of symptoms, usually followed by severe blood loss and shock,” the WHO said in a health alert.
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Currently, there is no treatment for Marburg disease other than “supportive care,” the CDC noted.
Patients should be treated by a doctor who can monitor their oxygen status and blood pressure, provide intravenous fluids and treat secondary infections, authorities said.
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Rest and hydration are also key to recovery.
To prevent the spread of the virus, the CDC recommends avoiding contact with blood or body fluids from people who are sick or have recovered from the virus until tests confirm that they are completely free of the virus.
Marburg virus was first identified in 1967 and causes a severe hemorrhagic fever that affects humans and non-human primates. (BSIP/UIG via Getty Images)
People should also avoid touching items that may be contaminated with body fluids from an infected person, the CDC warned.
According to the WHO, there is currently no vaccine available in Marburg, but “several vaccine candidates are currently under development”.
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“There are promising vaccine and therapeutic candidates for MVD, but these must be proven in clinical trials,” the group added.
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“WHO assesses the risk of this outbreak as very high at the national level, high at the regional level and low at the global level. Investigations are ongoing to determine the full extent of the outbreak and this risk assessment will be updated as more information is received. ”
