2023-04-24 12:00:01
The new provisional toll of the Marburg virus disease epidemic which has been raging for more than three months in Equatorial Guinea stands at 12 dead, according to a new confirmed toll from the Ministry of Health confirmed to AFP on Monday.
The last death recorded by the authorities due to the epidemic of this virus, cousin of Ebola and almost as deadly as it, dates back to April 11.
As of April 21, “there have been 17 cases and 12 deaths since the start of the epidemic,” the Ministry of Health said in a report presenting epidemiological data for Marburg virus disease.
A total of 116 contact cases are being monitored, compared to 385 on April 11, and 1,427 people have been contact cases since the start of the epidemic, according to the same source.
The recorded cases of this haemorrhagic fever overflowed from the province of Kié-Ntem (East) where it had caused the first known deaths on January 7, to reach Bata, the economic capital of this small country in Central Africa, which concentrates the majority of confirmed positive cases (11 out of 17), according to the authorities.
Almost a month ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) called on Equatorial Guinea to report cases of the Marburg virus to it due to fears of more widespread contamination than announced.
The UN agency was alarmed by a potential “large-scale epidemic”, which might affect neighboring Gabon and Cameroon in particular.
The Marburg virus is transmitted to humans by fruit bats and spreads among humans through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people, or with surfaces and materials. The fatality rate can reach 88%.
There are no approved vaccines or antiviral treatments to treat the virus. However, supportive care – oral or intravenous rehydration – and treatment of specific symptoms increase the chances of survival.
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