Overview:
On Saturday, 28 September, health authorities in Rwanda announced the first outbreak of Marburg virus disease (MVD), with 26 cases confirmed and 6 deaths recorded so far.
Background on Marburg virus:
Marburg hemorrhagic fever is a severe, highly fatal disease caused by a virus from the same family as Ebola hemorrhagic fever. Clinically, Marburg hemorrhagic fever and Ebola hemorrhagic fever are very similar, although the viruses that cause them are different. Both viruses are rare but cause severe outbreaks with high mortality rates.
Description of the disease:
Marburg hemorrhagic fever is an acute and serious viral disease that begins suddenly with fever, lethargy, headache, muscle and throat pain, followed by vomiting, diarrhea, rash, bleeding, and often accompanied by liver damage, kidney failure, and thrombocytopenia.
Incubation period:
2-21 days.
Duration of infection:
Infection does not begin before the onset of fever, increases with the development of the disease stages, and continues throughout the period of contamination of blood and body secretions with the virus. The virus is transmitted through semen for up to 7 weeks after clinical recovery.
Source of infection:
Unknown precisely despite extensive research on this topic.
Modes of transmission:
- From person to person through direct contact with the blood of the infected person, secretions, organs, or sexual contact.
- Infection acquired in health centers and hospitals using contaminated syringes and needles.
Status of treatments and vaccines:
- Treatment: The only treatment currently used for Marburg virus is supportive treatment in hospital. This treatment includes isolation, balancing fluids and minerals in the patient’s body, maintaining oxygenation and blood pressure, and replacing lost blood and clotting factors.
- Vaccines: There is currently no licensed vaccine available to effectively combat the virus.
Outbreak details:
- Cases: 26 people have been confirmed in seven of the country’s 30 districts.
- Treatment and isolation: Twenty cases have been isolated and are receiving treatment.
- Surveillance: 161 people who have come into contact with infected people are being monitored.
Public Health Response Measures:
Response measures and epidemiological investigations have been intensified to identify the source of infection.
International support:
- WHO is mobilizing expertise and tools for epidemic response.
- Clinical care equipment and infection prevention and control materials have been prepared and dispatched from the emergency response center in Nairobi to Kigali.
Regional action:
- Preparedness and response efforts are currently being scaled up in Rwanda’s neighboring countries.
Conclusion:
Local and international efforts continue to combat this outbreak to ensure effective control of Marburg virus disease and prevent its spread to other areas.
References