Rwanda Marburg virus outbreak 2024: Rawanda is facing its first-ever outbreak of Marburg Virus and at least six people have died so far. Sabin Nsanzimana, the country’s health minister, confirmed that most of the victims were healthcare workers in a hospital intensive care unit.
Since Friday, twenty-six cases of Marburg virus have been confirmed and authorities are tracking around 300 people who may have been exposed to the virus, mostly in the capital city, Kigali.
What is Marburg virus disease?
Marburg virus disease (MVD), formerly known as Marburg haemorrhagic fever, is a severe, often fatal illness in humans. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the disease with a case fatality ratio of up to 88%, but can be much lower with good patient care.
Marburg and Ebola viruses are both members of the Filoviridae family (filovirus). Though caused by different viruses, the two diseases are clinically similar. Both diseases are rare and have the capacity to cause outbreaks with high fatality rates, as per WHO.
According to the UN Health Body, Marburg spreads through human-to-human transmission via direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected people, and with surfaces and materials (e.g. bedding, clothing) contaminated with these fluids. People remain infectious as long as their blood contains the virus.
What are the symptoms of Marburg virus disease?
Initial Marburg disease signs and symptoms include:
- Fever
- Chills
- Headache
- Muscle aches
- Rash with both flat and raised bumps, often on the torso
- Chest pain
- Sore throat
- Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea
As the disease advances, symptoms can become more severe, including liver failure, delirium, shock, bleeding (hemorrhaging), and multi-organ dysfunction, as per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
What is the treatment?
Currently, there are no licensed treatments for Marburg disease. According to CDC, treatment is limited to supportive care. This includes rest, hydration, managing oxygen status and blood pressure, and treatment of secondary infections.
How to prevent Marburg virus disease?
To prevent Marburg disease:
- Avoid contact with blood and body fluids of people who are sick.
- Avoid contact with semen from a person who recovered from Marburg virus disease until testing shows that the virus is gone from their semen.
- Do not handle items that may have come in contact with an infected person’s body fluids.
- Avoid contact with Egyptian rousette bats and non-human primates if in areas where Marburg disease is found.