On January 10, the World Health Organization received reliable reports from local sources in the Republic of Tanzania regarding the presence of suspected cases of Marburg Virus Disease in the Kagera region in the northeast of the country. 6 people were reported injured, 5 of whom died. The next day (January 11) it was documented that 9 people were infected with the virus in two areas, Biharamulo and Moleba, and 8 of them died.
Marburg virus causes hemorrhagic fever, in which organs and blood vessels are damaged, causing bleeding internally or from the eyes, mouth, and ears. The virus can be spread by touching or handling the body fluids of an infected person, contaminated objects, or infected wild animals.
The World Health Organization says the virus has a fatality rate of 88%, meaning it could kill about 9 out of every 10 people it infects.
The regional risk of spreading the disease is high due to the strategic location of the Kagera region as a transit hub, with significant border movement of population to Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to a report published by the British newspaper the Daily Mail.
According to reports, some suspected cases are located in areas close to international borders, which highlights the possibility of its spread to neighboring countries. The outbreak of the disease in Tanzania comes less than a month after the official announcement of the end of the Marburg virus outbreak in the country of Rwanda, where someone was infected. A total of 66 people, about 80% of whom are healthcare workers.
Symptoms of infection with the most deadly Marburg virus
Marburg fever was first discovered in 1967 after two simultaneous outbreaks of the disease in Marburg and Frankfurt, Germany, and in Belgrade, Serbia. The outbreak was linked to laboratory work using African green monkeys (Cercopithecus aethiops) imported from Uganda.
People infected with Marburg virus begin to feel sick 2-21 days after they become infected, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States.
Symptoms of infection with the virus appear suddenly and include severe headache, fever, diarrhea, stomach pain, and vomiting, and it is difficult to distinguish between Marburg hemorrhagic fever and other tropical diseases in the early stages, such as Ebola and malaria.
Symptoms can become more severe as the disease progresses, including liver failure, delirium, bleeding, and multiple organ dysfunction.
Can the disease be treated?
There are currently no vaccines or treatments for Marburg disease, and treatment is limited to supportive care for the patient, which includes rest, fluids, checking oxygen levels and blood pressure, and treating secondary infections. This often exposes health workers to direct danger from the virus, as it is transmitted through… Infected body fluids.
Marburg virus prevention
The virus is found in the saliva, urine, and feces of infected bats, and once the disease “spills” from wild animals to humans, those infected can transmit the disease to other people.
Someone can become infected with Marburg virus through the body fluids of someone who is sick or has died from Marburg virus.
To prevent Marburg virus, it is recommended to avoid contact with blood and body fluids of sick people, and not to handle objects that may have come into contact with the body fluids of an infected person.