Rwanda is within the midst of its first outbreak of the Marburg virus – a virulent disease with Ebola-like symptoms. So far 46 cases have been recorded. 12 deaths. The source of the outbreak continues to be unknown.
Seven hundred meals. An experimental vaccine against the virus has just been sent to Rwanda from the US. The vaccine is currently administered mostly to health care staff, who’ve up to now made up the majority of the victims.
The rollout is an element of a clinical trial, so it’ll take a while to know the efficacy of the vaccine.
The Marburg virus is called after the town in Germany where it first emerged. In 1967, there have been simultaneous outbreaks in laboratories in Marburg and Belgrade in Serbia (then a part of Yugoslavia). The outbreak was attributable to African green monkeys imported from Uganda to be used in experiments. Seven people died..
Since then, there have been several outbreaks of Marburg virus. Sub-Saharan AfricaIncluding countries bordering Rwanda.
Previous outbreaks have been reported within the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Tanzania. The most up-to-date outbreaks were reported in Equatorial Guinea and Tanzania between February and June 2023, where nine cases were reported. and six deaths.
Other countries that first Reported outbreak. Angola, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya and South Africa are included. An outbreak in Angola in 2005 killed 300 people.
Outbreaks often occur when people come into contact with infected green monkeys, pigs or Egyptian bats (a form of Old World fruit bat) – a standard carrier of the virus. These bats are sometimes present in mines and caves. Once the disease jumps from an infected animal to a human – often known as zoonotic spillover – it may possibly spread from individual to individual through bodily fluids or through contact with contaminated surfaces similar to bedding.
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There are not any antiviral drugs to treat patients. People infected with Marburg virus are kept hydrated and anyone else Anemia is modified by transfer.
The incubation period, which is the time between exposure to the Marburg virus and the onset of symptoms, is five to 10 days. Symptoms of Marburg virus disease can appear suddenly and include fever, muscle aches, diarrhea and vomiting.
The virus damages blood vessels and interferes with the blood's ability to clot, which may turn out to be uncontrollable. Bleeding From the nose, eyes, gums, rectum and vagina in women. The “death rate” on this disease may be very high. Between 24 and 88% of individuals infected with Marburg virus die – often from severe blood loss and shock.
Marburg virus disease isn’t an airborne disease and isn’t considered contagious before symptoms appear. However, people can remain contagious for months after recovery, and might transmit the disease through bodily fluids. Men are advised to wear condoms for a 12 months after symptoms appear.
Looking for clues.
Rwandan authorities are working to discover the source of the outbreak, how far it has spread and when the primary case was reported.
Although Marburg virus disease has been reported in seven of the East African country's 30 districts, preparations are also being made in non-affected districts to attenuate the spread and discover any outbreaks quickly. .
The World Health Organization (WHO) is working with Rwanda's neighboring countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, to evaluate their preparedness to cope with the outbreak.
The WHO has rated the chance of Marburg virus outbreaks as “very high” on the national level and “high” on the regional level. However, globally, the chance stays low.