Equatorial Guinea Confirms First Outbreak of Marburg Disease

Equatorial Guinea Confirms First Outbreak of Marburg Disease

Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed the first outbreak of Marburg virus disease (MVD) in Equatorial Guinea, saying that the Ebola-related Marburg virus is responsible for at least nine deaths in the country.

The WHO has confirmed the Marburg epidemic after samples from Equatorial Guinea were sent to a lab in Senegal.

Marburg virus disease (MVD)

  • Marburg virus disease (MVD) is a serious disease that causes viral hemorrhagic fever in humans.
  • It was earlier known as Marburg haemorrhagic fever.
  • The virus was first identified in 1967 in Frankfurt, Germany, and Marburg (whence its name) and Belgrade, Serbia.
  • The first infected people with this virus came in contact with African green monkeys or their tissues imported from Uganda while doing research.
  • The virus takes two to 21 days to mature. The disease has an average mortality rate of 50%, although a mortality rate of 88% has also been reported.
  • A person infected with the virus experiences a sudden illness with symptoms such as high fever, severe headache and malaise.

Similar to Ebola

  • Both Marburg and Ebola viruses belong to the Filoviridae family and currently have similar clinical similarities.
  • Like Ebola, the Marburg virus is transmitted from bats to primates. In this way bats are considered the natural hosts of the virus.

Infection in humans

  • It is transmitted to humans by direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected bats, or by direct contact with surfaces contaminated with the fluids, such as sheets and clothing.
  • The disease can also spread through direct contact with the body of the deceased during burial. As of now, there are no authorized vaccines or drugs to treat Marburg virus disease.
  • The WHO, however, states that rehydration with oral or intravenous fluids and treatment of specific symptoms can improve the chances of survival.

Source – Indian Express

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