Marburg is a rare but highly contagious viral haemorrhagic fever and belongs to the same family as Ebola, a better known virus that has plagued West Africa for years.
Marburg virus is a “zoonotic… genetically unique RNA virus of the filovirus family,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC). “The six species of Ebola virus are the only other known members of the filovirus family. »
Mortality rates range from 24% to 88%, according to the WHO. Marburg was likely transmitted to people by fruit bats following prolonged exposure of people working in mines and caves that harbor colonies of Rousettus bats.
These bats carry a virus as deadly as Ebola, and scientists are tracking them to try to stop its spread
Once a person is infected, the virus can spread easily between humans through direct contact with infected people’s bodily fluids such as blood, saliva, or urine, as well as on surfaces and materials. Relatives and healthcare workers remain the most vulnerable alongside patients, and bodies may remain infectious during burial.
The first cases of the virus were identified in Europe in 1967. Two large outbreaks in Marburg and Frankfurt in Germany, and in Belgrade, Serbia, led to initial recognition of the disease. At least seven deaths have been reported in this outbreak, with the first infected people exposed to African green monkeys imported from Uganda or their tissues during laboratory research, the CDC said.
The Ghana cases are only the second time Marburg has been detected in West Africa. The first reported case in the region occurred in Guinea last year. The virus can spread quickly. More than 90 contacts, including health workers and community members, are being followed up in Ghana. The WHO said it had also reached out to high-risk neighboring countries to put them on alert.
According l’OMS :
- Marburg virus disease (MVD), formerly known as Marburg virus hemorrhagic fever, is a serious, often fatal illness in humans.
- The virus causes severe viral hemorrhagic fever in humans.
- The average fatality rate for this disease is around 50%. It has varied from 24% to 88% in previous outbreaks, depending on viral strain and case management.
- Early management with rehydration and symptomatic treatment improves survival. There are currently no approved treatments to neutralize the virus, but several treatments using blood products, immune therapies and drug treatments are in development.
- Rousettus aegypticus, a fruit bat in the family Pteropodidae, is considered to be the natural host of the Marburg virus. This bat transmits the virus to humans.
- Community involvement is key to controlling outbreaks.
