Context:
The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Rwandan Government declared the Marburg fever outbreak in Rwanda officially over after no new cases were reported in recent weeks.
More on the News
- Rwanda first declared the Marburg Virus Disease outbreak on September 27, 2024.
- The outbreak resulted in 66 cases and 15 deaths, with healthcare workers being the most affected, as they handled the initial patients.
About Marburg virus disease (MVD)
- Marburg virus disease (MVD), earlier known as Marburg haemorrhagic fever, is a severe and often fatal haemorrhagic fever caused by the Marburg virus (MARV).
- It belongs to the filovirus family, which also includes the Ebola virus. Both diseases are clinically similar with high fatality rates.
- The virus was first identified in 1967 during simultaneous outbreaks in Marburg and Frankfurt, Germany, and Belgrade, Serbia.
- The fatality rate ranges from 24% to 88%, depending on the virus strain and the level of care provided.
Transmission:
- The Rousettus fruit bat (specifically, the Egyptian fruit bat) is believed to be the natural host of the Marburg virus.
- However, African green monkeys imported from Uganda were the source of the first human infection.
- According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the virus can also spread through –
- Direct contact with the blood or bodily fluids (such as vomit, urine, or saliva) of an infected person.
- Indirect contact through contaminated surfaces and materials, such as bedding or clothing.
Symptoms:
- The symptoms of Marburg virus disease appear after an incubation period of 2 to 21 days.
- Initial symptoms include high fever, severe headache, muscle ache, severe watery diarrhoea, abdominal pain and cramping, and vomiting.
- Soon many patients develop haemorrhagic symptoms (bleeding from various parts of the body, including gums, digestive system, and vagina).
- Severe blood loss leads to death, often between 8 to 9 days after symptoms begin.
Diagnosis & Treatment:
- Diagnosing MVD is challenging as its symptoms are similar to other diseases like malaria or typhoid.
- However, it can be confirmed through laboratory testing of blood and other samples, which is risky due to the extreme biohazard posed by the virus.
- Currently, there are no approved vaccines or specific treatments for MVD yet, but several are under development.
- However, according to WHO, supportive care (rehydration with oral or intravenous fluids) and treatment of specific symptoms, improve survival.
- Experimental vaccines and treatments are being developed currently, with US-based Sabin Vaccine Institute providing Rwanda with 700 doses of its experimental Marburg vaccine.