Another epidemic: Now, the WHO warns of Marburg virus that killed 9 in EG
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: With at least 9 deaths because of the outbreak of the highly-infectious Marburg virus in Equatorial Guinea in West Africa, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned of an epidemic.
The global health regulator said Equatorial Guinea has confirmed its first-ever outbreak of Marburg Virus Disease (MVD). Like Covid-19 and Ebola, this virus originates in fruit bats which transmit the Marburg virus to humans. The infection later spreads among them through direct contact.
The reports said at least 9 people died and 16 others are suspected of infection in Equatorial Guinea because of the Marburg outbreak. Advanced medical teams have been deployed in the affected districts to trace contacts, isolate and provide medical care to people showing disease symptoms.
A lockdown has been implemented in the Kie-Ntem province and the neighboring district of Mongomo to contain the spread of the disease.
There have also been previous outbreaks and sporadic cases in other parts of Africa, such as Angola, DR Congo, Guinea, Kenya, South Africa, and Uganda. Ghana last year reported two deaths linked to the Marburg virus.
The WHO said the MVD is caused by the Ebola-like Marburg virus. Without treatment, Marburg can be fatal in up to 88 percent of people, but early treatment and good patient care can bring the fatality rate down.
This virus was first detected and described in 1967 after it caused simultaneous outbreaks in the German cities of Marburg and Frankfurt, as well as the then Yugoslav capital Belgrade.
Marburg and Ebola viruses are members of the Filoviridae family (filovirus). Though caused by different viruses, the two diseases are similar.
The Marburg virus spreads between people via close contact with the bodily fluids of infected people, or surfaces, like contaminated bed sheets or clothes. The infection has also been known to occur through close contact between healthcare infection and patients.
Symptoms of MVD include hemorrhage, fever, diarrhea, and vomiting. The disease begins with a high fever and severe headache before progressing to diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and vomiting.
According to WHO, many patients develop severe hemorrhagic manifestations between 5 and 7 days.
