The World Health Organization (WHO) is holding an emergency meeting to discuss the Central African outbreak of the Marburg virus, a highly contagious pathogen with a mortality rate of up to 88%.
Marburg often appears on bats (Artwork: AFP).
RT Reportedly, WHO held an emergency meeting on February 14 related to the outbreak of the Marburg virus in Equatorial Guinea in Central Africa. This outbreak has killed 9 people and 16 suspected cases.
The WHO meeting aimed to consider a number of vaccine candidates that might block dangerous pathogens. In addition, WHO announced that medical experts will be sent to the country with protective gear, and said that samples will be taken to a laboratory in Senegal to help trace the origin of the outbreak. new in Equatorial Guinea.
“Marburg is highly contagious. Thanks to the swift and decisive action taken by the Equatorial Guinea authorities in confirming the disease, the emergency response can quickly achieve maximum effectiveness for us to save lives. and contain the virus as soon as possible,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.
Belonging to the same virus family as Ebola, Marburg is considered extremely dangerous and can cause a form of viral hemorrhagic fever, resulting in bleeding from the nose, mouth or other body parts. Other symptoms include dehydration, nausea, vomiting, sore throat, and abdominal pain.
The Marburg virus usually occurs in Rousettus bats. According to WHO, once a person has contracted the virus, the pathogen is spread through bodily fluids of an infected person, or with surfaces and materials contaminated with the virus.
According to WHO, the mortality rate from infection with pathogens ranges from 24% to a maximum of 88% in previous outbreaks, depending on the strain of the virus and the method of disease control in each region. In 2004, the virus hit Angola and infected 252 people, killing regarding 90% of the cases.
To date, there is no approved vaccine or antiviral therapy to treat Marburg, but the WHO notes that “a range of potential treatments” are currently being evaluated, including “blood products, whether immunotherapy and drug therapy”. Several potential vaccines once morest this virus are in phase 1 trials.
“We are working on a 30-day response plan in which we can quantify what the exact measures and needs are,” said George Ameh, WHO representative in Equatorial Guinea.