WHO has reported the risk of an epidemic of Marburg hemorrhagic fever
A case of Marburg hemorrhagic fever, a highly fatal disease, has been confirmed in Rwanda . In seven of the country's 30 districts , the disease was detected, and deaths were also recorded. In Germany, two people have symptoms of this infection.
According to the WHO, 26 cases of Marburg hemorrhagic fever have been identified in Rwanda so far, and 9 people have died. 70% of the patients are medical staff in two hospitals in Kigali. Officials have identified about 300 people who have been in contact with the virus. They are all under surveillance.
"There is a risk of transboundary spread of Marburg malaria , as the disease has been identified in Rwanda's border areas with the Democratic Republic of the Congo , Tanzania and Uganda," the organization said in a statement. WHO requested the authorities of these three countries to take additional measures for epidemiological control at the border with Rwanda.
It is said that cases of Marburg virus have been identified in Germany as well . Two passengers with flu-like symptoms were immediately evacuated from Hamburg Central Station. dpa agency reports that on Tuesday, October 2, a medical student and his lover, who felt symptoms of the disease, were taken to the Hamburg-Eppendorf University Hospital for further medical examination.
It is noted that one of them had previously traveled to Rwanda, where he was in contact with a patient who doctors later diagnosed as infected with the Marburg virus.
According to preliminary information, there were about 200 more passengers on the train. The police have collected their information in order to quarantine them if necessary.
The Marburg virus belongs to the same family as the Ebola virus and has a fatality rate of up to 88%. "With more than 27 cases and nine deaths, the outbreak is the fourth largest on record. WHO has rated the risk of this epidemic as very high nationally, high regionally and low globally ," reports NPR .
The Marburg fever epidemic was last observed in Africa in February-June 2023 and spread in Tanzania and Equatorial Guinea. Before that, it was recorded in Angola, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya and South Africa.
Modern medicine believes that the disease caused by the Marburg virus is transmitted to humans by bats . It is then spread between people through direct contact with a sick person. The disease begins suddenly with high fever and severe headache. Within seven days, those infected develop symptoms of hemorrhagic fever.
The mortality rate from Marburg fever ranges from 24% to 88%, depending on the strain of the virus and treatment options . There is no cure for this form of hemorrhagic fever. The disease got its name from the German city of Marburg . It was recorded in the city for the first time in 1967. Its causative agent was found in monkey tissues brought from Africa for scientific research.
