Marburg outbreak in Africa: What you need to know about the deadly virus

Two African countries are now facing an outbreak of the Marburg virus. The virus, a highly infectious, Ebola-like disease has left at least a dozen dead in West Africa’s Equatorial Guinea and East Africa’s Tanzania. Let’s take a closer look at the Marburg virus and the recent outbreak in Africa: Origins The virus was first identified in 1967 when bouts of hemorrhagic fever broke out concurrently in Marburg, Frankfurt, in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, as per CDC. Thirty-one people fell ill and seven died including lab personnel, medical workers and their families after workers initially had contact with infected green monkeys imported from Uganda. The suspected natural source of the Marburg virus is the African fruit bat, which carries the pathogen but does not fall sick from it. It is part of the so-called filovirus family that also includes Ebola, which has wreaked havoc in several previous outbreaks in Africa.

The virus can affect both humans and non-human primates, as per the CDC.

According to CNN, the virus is spread by human contact including

• Blood
• Bodily fluids
• Bedding
• Clothing
• Needles
• Medical equipment.

A few cases of transmission via semen have also been recorded. Symptoms The virus takes between two and 21 days to incubate. According to the WHO, the symptoms of high fever, headache and muscle pain can come on abruptly in the early days. By day three patients can experience diarrhoea, abdominal pain, cramping, nausea and vomiting. During this time patients show ‘ghost-like’ features such as deep-set eyes, expressionless faces and extreme lethargy.

Between day five and seven, patients can begin bleeding from the nose and gums.

Those that pass away do so on the eight or ninth day – due to severe blood loss and shock. Marburg’s symptoms, which are similar to typhoid and malaria, make it difficult to diagnose. The Marburg virus is a highly dangerous pathogen that causes severe fever often accompanied by bleeding, and often targeting several organs and reducing the body’s ability to function on its own. The virus is also extremely deadly. As per the WHO, while the average fatality rate is 50 per cent, that can fluctuate from 24 per cent to 88 per cent depending on the virus strain and case management. As per CNN, families of the infected and those that provide care are most at risk for contracting Marburg. Those diagnosed with the virus or suspected of being infected should isolate – and carers should don gowns, gloves and masks to avoid direct contact. Treatment As of now, there is no treatment for the Marburg virus. Potential treatments, including blood products, immune therapies and drug therapies, as well as early candidate vaccines, are being considered, according to the WHO. For now, rehydration and the treatment of specific symptoms can improve chances of survival. Outbreaks in Africa This is the first Marburg outbreak in Equatorial Guinea. The country’s total number of cases, in the outbreak declared in mid-February, reached nine last week. [caption id=“attachment_12179412” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] The World Health Organization said Equatorial Guinea has confirmed its first-ever outbreak of Marburg disease. AP[/caption] The WHO said the new cases in Equatorial Guinea were found in the provinces of Kie Ntem, Litoral and Centro Sur, all with borders with Cameroon and Gabon. “The areas reporting cases are about 150 kilometers (93 miles) apart, suggesting wider transmission of the virus,” the United Nations agency said. Tanzania last week announced eight cases of Marburg, including five deaths. One of the people killed was a health worker. “Our pathogen genomics team will sequence samples from both places … and see if there is a relationship between the current two outbreaks,” the acting director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Ahmed Ogwell, told journalists. A WHO risk assessment in September showed that Tanzania is at high to very high risk for infectious disease outbreaks because is shares borders with several countries, including the African Great Lakes region. Tanzania has recently had to respond to other health emergencies — including cholera and dengue — and the systems put in place to handle these will help, said Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa. The virus has had previous outbreaks and sporadic cases in other parts of Africa, including in Angola, DR Congo, Guinea, Kenya, South Africa and Uganda. Last July, Ghana had reported two Marburg deaths for the first time, in what were also the first cases in West Africa. Authorities declared an end to the outbreak in September. In an outbreak in Angola in 2005, 329 of the 374 cases proved fatal. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook ,  Twitter  and  Instagram .