Do You Have a Cold or Something More Serious?
Marburg Virus Kills 8 In Rwanda. What To Know About The Ebola-like Outbreak And Symptoms
Eleven people have died in Rwanda from the highly contagious Marburg virus, and 36 cases have been confirmed, the country's health ministry reported Tuesday, just days after the country declared an outbreak of the deadly hemorrhagic fever that has no authorized vaccine or treatment.
"Marburg is a rare disease," health minister Sabin Nsanzimana said Sunday. "We are intensifying contact tracing and testing to help stop the spread."
He said the source of the disease has not been determined yet.
Previous Marburg cases and outbreaks have been recorded in Tanzania, Equatorial Guinea, Angola, Congo, Kenya, South Africa, Uganda and Ghana, according to the World Health Organization.
Here's what else to know about the disease.
What causes Marburg virus?Like Ebola, the Marburg virus originates in fruit bats. It can spread between people through close contact with the bodily fluids of infected individuals or with surfaces, such as contaminated bed sheets, clothing, needles or medical equipment.
The World Health Organization notes that Marburg virus does not spread through the air.
The rare virus was first identified in 1967 after it caused simultaneous outbreaks of disease in laboratories in Marburg, Germany, and Belgrade, Serbia. Seven people died who were exposed to the virus while conducting research on monkeys.
Marburg virus symptomsAccording to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, symptoms of Marburg virus include:
"In later stages of the disease, bleeding from various sites such as the gums, nose and anus can occur. Patients can suffer shock, delirium and organ failure," WHO says.
Without treatment, Marburg can be fatal in up to 88% of people who fall ill with the disease. There are currently no approved vaccines or treatments specifically for this virus.
A person infected with the virus can take between three days and three weeks to show symptoms, Nsanzimana added.
More from CBS News
Congo finally begins mpox vaccinations in a drive to slow outbreaks
How an ultrasound to check on her pregnancy revealed a big health issue
Child dies from rabies after bat found in room, officials say
Some apple cider could make you sick. Here's what to know.
Yellow jackets swarm North Carolina, prompting Benadryl, EpiPen requests
Fears Ebola-like 'eye-bleeding Disease' That's Killed 9 Has Spread – As Hospital Visits Banned
A MAJOR outbreak of the 'eye-bleeding disease' Marburg may have reached Europe and could spread globally, an expert has warned.
At least 27 cases and nine deaths of the incurable Marburg virus have been reported in Rwanda, Africa, by local authorities since Friday - one of the largest outbreaks of the Ebola-like virus on record.
4
There is a risk that Marburg could spread beyond East AfricaCredit: EPA
4
A slide shared on X that mapped out the transmission chains suggests the wife of someone with Marburg travelled to Belgium (Credit: X, @NOlivier17)Most of the recorded Marburg cases so far have involved healthcare staff treating infected patients in and around Kigali, the country's capital.
Kigali is home to 1.2million people and has a well-connected airport, raising fears of international spread.
In a statement issued on Monday, the World Health Organisation (WHO) categorised the risk of spread to neighbouring countries as high.
It also suggested there is a risk of spread beyond East Africa, with reports of a suspected case in Belgium.
Marburg has already been flagged by the WHO as a 'priority pathogen' with pandemic potential.
Paul Hunter, a professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia, told The Sun this outbreak of Marburg could "crop up in any country globally".
"The incubation period is between five and 15 days, plenty long enough for someone to get on a plane and fly anywhere in the world," he explained.
The incubation period of a virus is the time between exposure to the virus and the onset of symptoms.
HARD LUCK
Record number of men going to hospital with painful erections that won't go down
TEEN TRAGEDY
Woman, 18, died after doctors 'failed to spot her tumours seven times'
CRITICAL CONDITION
Terrifying reason to never leave UTI untreated or risk deadly condition
DESPERATE PLEA
I've got FIVE-STONE growth hanging off my stomach but docs won't remove it"Airport screening wouldn't eliminate that risk due to the long incubation period," Prof Paul said, as people could be travelling without showing any symptoms.
Previous outbreaks have seen around half of those infected die, though in places where health care is poor, that has risen to nearly 90 per cent.
First case of deadly Ebola-like Marburg virus with a fatality rate as high as 88pc detected in Guinea, West AfricaAround 300 people who had contact with confirmed cases in Rwanda have been identified, with some placed in isolation facilities.
But one contact of a suspected case has already travelled to another country, the WHO said.
The statement didn't directly mention the country, but a slide shared on X that mapped out the transmission chains pointed to the wife of someone with the disease who had travelled to Belgium.
The Sun reached out to Belgian health authorities for confirmation.
A spokesperson from the country's Health food Chain Safety Environment has since (Oct 2) said the person who was thought to be at risk of the Marburg virus was immediately put into isolation.
The person has since completed the full incubation period without developing any symptoms, they added.
4
Marburg is on the WHO's official watchlist of 'priority pathogens'
4
Bats are a natural animal reservoir for the Marburg virusCredit: Getty Images - GettyShould we be worried?
By Professor Paul Hunter, from the Univeristy of East Anglia
Even if the Marburg was brought over to Europe or the UK, the chance of it spreading like wildfire is small.
The disease spreads easily in hospitals in Africa because they don't have the infection prevention resources we have in the West.
Once a diagnosis has been made in the UK the patient would be transferred to one of the High Level Isolation Units either at the Royal Free, London or Newcastle.
Once there the staff are very well trained in how to protect themselves.
The risk to healthcare workers would likely be early in the illness when, fortunately, patients are not as infectious.
The WHO's statement assured that "appropriate response measures have been implemented" by the country in question.
Meanwhile, the organisation is deploying experts and outbreak response tools to Rwanda to help curb the virus.
Hospital patient visits have been banned for two weeks and funeral services have been restricted, in a bid to limit physical contact with those who may have or have died from the bug.
The US Embassy in Rwanda's capital of Kigali has urged its staff to work remotely and avoid visiting offices.
Marburg virus jumps to humans from fruit bats and spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids like blood, saliva, and mucus.
Symptoms include high fever, intense headaches, muscle pain, diarrhoea, and vomiting.
In severe cases, death can result from massive blood loss from different parts of the body, including the eyes.
There are no approved treatments yet, but one vaccine is being trialled, which Prof Paul is "quite confident" will be effective.
Rwanda has urged the public to stay alert, practice good hygiene, and report any suspected cases.
Though Marburg causes symptoms similar to its cousin, Ebola, outbreaks have typically involved fewer than ten cases.
Only two outbreaks have surpassed 100 cases.
The largest one was in Uije, Angola, between 2004 and 2005, with 252 confirmed cases and 227 fatalities.
There was also a Marburg outbreak reported in Equatorial Guinea earlier in 2024, which was declared over in July.
What is Marburg virus?
Marburg is a filovirus like its more famous cousin, Ebola.
These are part of a broader group of viruses that can cause viral haemorrhagic fever, a syndrome of fever and bleeding.
Up to 90 per cent of those infected die.
The first outbreaks occurred in 1967 in lab workers in Germany and Yugoslavia who were working with African green monkeys imported from Uganda.
The virus was identified in a lab in Marburg, Germany.
Since then, outbreaks have occurred in a handful of countries in Africa, less frequently than Ebola.
Marburg's natural host is a fruit bat, but it can also infect primates, pigs and other animals.
Human outbreaks start after a person has contact with an infected animal.
It's spread between people mainly through direct contact, especially with bodily fluids, and it causes an illness like Ebola, with fever, headache and malaise, followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, and aches and pains.
The bleeding follows about five days later, and it can be fatal in up to 90 per cent of people infected.
Suspected Case Of Ebola-like 'eye-bleeding Disease' Closes Hamburg Train Station After 10 Deaths & 'silent Spread' Fears
A MAJOR train station had to be closed after two passengers were suspected of carrying a highly contagious Ebola-like virus.
Passengers were evacuated from two platforms at Hamburg Central Station in Germany as emergency personnel, dressed in full protective gear, boarded a train arriving from Frankfurt.
5
Hamburg Central Station had to be closed today (stock image)Credit: Getty 5
There is a risk that Marburg could spread beyond East AfricaCredit: EPA
5
The virus has an 88% fatality rateCredit: Getty 5
Bats are a natural animal reservoir for the Marburg virusCredit: Getty Images - GettyAuthorities closed tracks seven and eight for several hours at the German station due to concerns over a potential outbreak of the deadly Marburg virus.
Two passengers on board were suspected of carrying the highly contagious "eye-bleeding disease".
One of the passengers, a 26-year-old German medical student, and his girlfriend began experiencing flu-like symptoms during the train journey.
The man had recently returned to Germany from Rwanda, where he had contact with a patient later diagnosed with the Marburg virus.
Local health authorities have since confirmed that neither of the two possible cases tested positive for Marburg.
"The person, who worked in a hospital in Rwanda as part of their medical studies, tested negative for the Marburg virus using a PCR test," it read on the city's official website.
It added: "The accompanying person also tested negative and has mild symptoms of another disease.
"The accompanying person had no contact with sick people."
HARD LUCK
Record number of men going to hospital with painful erections that won't go down TEEN TRAGEDY
Woman, 18, died after doctors 'failed to spot her tumours seven times' CRITICAL CONDITION
Terrifying reason to never leave UTI untreated or risk deadly condition DESPERATE PLEA
I've got FIVE-STONE growth hanging off my stomach but docs won't remove itIt comes as ten people have died during Rwanda's first outbreak of the virus, which was confirmed on Wednesday by the nation's health ministry.
Marburg, which has a fatality rate of up to 88 per cent, belongs to the same virus family as Ebola.
First case of deadly Ebola-like Marburg virus with a fatality rate as high as 88pc detected in Guinea, West AfricaWhat is Marburg virus?
Marburg is a filovirus like its more famous cousin, Ebola.
These are part of a broader group of viruses that can cause viral haemorrhagic fever, a syndrome of fever and bleeding.
Up to 90 per cent of those infected die.
The first outbreaks occurred in 1967 in lab workers in Germany and Yugoslavia who were working with African green monkeys imported from Uganda.
The virus was identified in a lab in Marburg, Germany.
Since then, outbreaks have occurred in a handful of countries in Africa, less frequently than Ebola.
Marburg's natural host is a fruit bat, but it can also infect primates, pigs and other animals.
Human outbreaks start after a person has contact with an infected animal.
It's spread between people mainly through direct contact, especially with bodily fluids, and it causes an illness like Ebola, with fever, headache and malaise, followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, and aches and pains.
The bleeding follows about five days later, and it can be fatal in up to 90 per cent of people infected.
It is transmitted to people by fruit bats and then by contact with infected individuals' bodily fluids.
Most of the recorded Marburg cases so far have involved healthcare staff treating infected patients in and around Kigali, the country's capital.
Kigali is home to 1.2million people and has a well-connected airport, raising fears of international spread.
In a statement issued on Monday, the World Health Organisation (WHO) categorised the risk of spread to neighbouring countries as high.
It also indicated a potential risk of spreading beyond East Africa, with a suspected case in Belgium, though tests later confirmed it was negative.
Marburg has already been flagged by the WHO as a 'priority pathogen' with pandemic potential.
The incubation period of a virus is the time between exposure to the virus and the onset of symptoms.
Previous outbreaks have seen around half of those infected die, though in places where health care is poor, that has risen to nearly 90 per cent.
Around 300 people who had contact with confirmed cases in Rwanda have been identified, with some placed in isolation facilities.
5
Marburg is on the WHO's official watchlist of 'priority pathogens'
Comments
Post a Comment