Rwanda is facing its first-ever outbreak of the deadly Marburg virus, with 36 cases and 11 deaths reported. WHO has classified the risk as very high in Rwanda and high across the African region. Marburg, related to Ebola, has a fatality rate that can reach 88% in severe cases.
Rwanda is currently facing its first outbreak of the lethal Marburg virus, having reported 36 cases and 11 fatalities. The World Health Organization stated this week that the outbreak poses a very high risk in Rwanda, a high risk across the African region, and a low risk globally.
What is Marburg virus?
Marburg is a virus related to Ebola that causes hemorrhagic fever, with an average fatality rate of 50%, though it has reached 88% in past outbreaks, according to the WHO. Early medical care and rehydration can improve survival chances. Symptoms typically start with a sudden high fever and severe headache, followed by vomiting, diarrhea, and uncontrolled bleeding.
The virus was first identified in 1967 in Marburg, Germany, and Belgrade, Serbia, after lab work with African green monkeys from Uganda led to human infections. Since then, outbreaks and sporadic cases have occurred in Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, South Africa, and Uganda.
How does it spread?
Marburg is transmitted to humans through prolonged exposure to mines or caves inhabited by Rousettus fruit bats. It can also spread between people through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected individuals or with surfaces and materials contaminated by those fluids, including blood.
Is there a vaccine?
There are currently no approved vaccines or treatments for Marburg, but Rwanda's health minister has indicated that several promising candidates may enter trials soon. These include vaccines developed by non-profit organizations like the Sabin Vaccine Institute, which is collaborating with Rwandan officials, and the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI).
Additionally, the team from Oxford University that created the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine started testing its Marburg vaccine candidate this summer in the UK using similar technology.
What else is happening?
Rwanda is monitoring around 300 contacts of confirmed cases, with about 70% involving healthcare workers from two facilities in Kigali. Cases have also been reported in seven of the country’s 30 districts. The virus spreads not only in healthcare settings but also at funerals, where close contact with the deceased is common in some cultures, according to Paul Hunter, a professor at the University of East Anglia.
Is Marburg reaching new places, and why?
In 2021, Guinea reported West Africa's first case of Marburg, followed by Ghana declaring its first outbreak in 2022, and Tanzania and Equatorial Guinea in 2023. These outbreaks were generally small and controlled through public health measures. Scientists suggest the rising frequency of outbreaks may be linked to human encroachment on animal habitats. The current outbreak in Rwanda is already among the largest recorded.
Iran has rejected as “irrelevant” a UN nuclear watchdog resolution referring its nuclear file to the UN Security Council, arguing that ...
Georgia’s busiest sea gateway has reached its capacity limit, adding urgency to plans for a major expansion of Poti port as the country seeks...
Overnight Iranian strikes on an air base in Jordan damaged multiple U.S. aircraft and left one without a wing, American media reported. Meanwhile, ...
Four people were killed, including a child, in Ukrainian strikes on the Russian port city of Novorossiysk overnight, according to the governor of the Krasnodar region. Ukraine's drone forces commander, Robert Brovdi, said Russian military ships were destroyed in the attacks.
Wildfires have broken out in Türkiye’s Antalya province, forcing hundreds of people to evacuate as strong winds fuelled the flames.
Overnight Iranian strikes on an air base in Jordan damaged multiple U.S. aircraft and left one without a wing, American media reported. Meanwhile, explosions were heard across parts of southern Iran according to local media reports.
A TV channel was struck during a live broadcast on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, as Russian strikes on Kyiv killed at least three people, the city's Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. Meanwhile, drones hit civilian infrastructure in Russia's southwestern Saratov region.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces destroyed five Iranian crude oil carriers after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) allegedly launched two ballistic missile attacks against a U.S. Navy warship over the past two days.
Authorities in Nigeria's Ondo State have launched an investigation after 24 people died and several others were hospitalised following the consumption of a locally produced herbal drink in communities in the country's southwest.
A new study has found that baby girls exposed to paracetamol during pregnancy had, on average, smaller ovaries and uteruses and fewer ovarian follicles than those whose mothers did not take the painkiller.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are facing growing pressure as the virus spreads to new areas faster than treatment capacity can be expanded.
Bangladesh’s dengue outbreak is accelerating, with 42,590 people hospitalised and 117 deaths recorded this year as a sharp September surge puts further pressure on hospitals.
Prescriptions for GLP-1 weight-loss medicines among U.S. children aged eight to 11 have increased more than 300-fold since 2019, highlighting both the growing burden of childhood obesity and the debate over how early these drugs should be used.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment