Bad news from West Africa: An infection with the deadly Marburg virus was detected there for the first time. The pathogen comes from the same family as the Ebola virus. Experts are concerned: The germ has the potential to “spread widely”.
In West Africa, an infection with the highly dangerous Marburg virus has been detected for the first time. World Health Organization (WHO) regional director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, said Monday the case was discovered in Guinea less than two months after an Ebola outbreak was declared over in the country.
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The Marburg virus, which can cause hemorrhagic fever, comes from the same family of pathogens as the Ebola virus.
The Marburg virus has the potential to “spread far and wide”, said Moeti. It must therefore be stopped quickly.
“The potential for the Marburg virus to spread far and wide means we need to stop it in its tracks,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.
According to the information, the virus was detected in a patient who has since died in the Gueckedou prefecture in southern Guinea. A team of ten WHO experts is already on-site to support the national health authorities with emergency measures and to carry out further tests in the population.
“We are working with the health authorities to implement a swift response that builds on Guinea’s past experience and expertise in managing Ebola, which is transmitted in a similar way,” Moeti said.
The Marburg virus is usually linked to exposure to Rousettus bat colonies in caves or mines. According to the WHO, once a human has contracted the disease, it is spread through contact with infected people’s bodily fluids or contaminated surfaces and materials.
“We applaud the alertness and the quick investigative action by Guinea’s health workers,” Moeti said.
Because of his worsening symptoms, the patient was treated in a clinic in Gueckedou, where a medical team was quickly dispatched.
Risk assessment, disease surveillance, community mobilisation and screening, clinical care, infection control, and logistical support are all part of the emergency response, according to WHO.
Cross-border surveillance will also be intensified so that possible further cases can be identified quickly.
The neighboring states of Guinea have been put on alert.
Last year there was an Ebola outbreak in Guinea, which the WHO declared over in mid-June. Twelve people died in Guinea in connection with the Ebola outbreak.
In South Africa, Angola, Kenya, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, previous outbreaks and sporadic cases have been reported.
This is, however, the first time the virus has been discovered in West Africa.
The illness appears out of nowhere, with a high fever, severe headache, and severe discomfort.
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According to the WHO, fatality rates in previous outbreaks have ranged from 24 percent to 88 percent, depending on the virus strain and case management.
Although no vaccines or antiviral treatments have been approved, it claims that oral or intravenous rehydration and treatment of specific symptoms improve survival rates.
Image Credit: Robert Michael / dpa