Five people lost their lives and three others were infected following the Marburg virus disease outbreak in Tanzania. Here’s everything you need to know.
What is the Marburg virus disease?
Marburg virus disease (MVD) is a severe fatal hemorrhagic fever. According to the authorities, the highly infectious disease outbreak is reported in Tanzania’s northwestern Kagera region. Similar to Ebola, the disease is caused by a flavivirus. The diseases are clinically similar. While Rousettus fruit bats are the natural hosts of the Marburg virus. But, the imported African green monkeys from Uganda were the reason for human infection.
The disease has a fatality rate of about 50 percent. However, it can range from 24 to 88 percent depending on the case management and virus strain. The onset of the disease can range from two to 21 days and MVD manifests as a form of high fever, and head and muscle aches. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), patients suffering from MVD have a “ghost-like” appearance with expressionless faces and deep-set eyes. Additionally, they also experience extreme lethargy.
“These emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases are a sign that the health security of the continent needs to be strengthened to cope with the disease threats,” stated Ahmed Ogwell Ouma. Ouma is the director of Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). “We urge members of the public to continue sharing information promptly with the authorities to enable a most effective response,” he added.
More on the outbreak
So far five people died and three others got infected with the Marburg virus disease. However, as per the WHO, about 161 people are at risk as per contact tracing. An emergency response team is also deployed in the region. These cases come about one month after the fight case of Marburg virus disease was reported in Equatorial Guinea.
“The efforts by Tanzania’s health authorities to establish the cause of the disease is a clear indication of the determination to effectively respond to the outbreak. We are working with the government to rapidly scale up control measures to halt the spread of the virus and end the outbreak as soon as possible,” stated Dr. Matshidiso Moeti. Dr. Moeti is the WHO Regional Director for Africa