The Central African nation Equatorial Guinea, on Monday (February 13) confirmed its first-ever outbreak of the Marburg virus disease after at least nine people died in the Kie-Ntem province, said the country’s health minister. Subsequently, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirming the outbreak said it would increase its epidemiological surveillance in the Central African nation which has also reported approximately 16 suspected cases.
What do we know about the “outbreak” so far?
More than 200 people have been placed under quarantine in Equatorial Guinea’s Kie-Ntem province due to the outbreak of the Marburg virus which according to the WHO is a highly infectious and deadly disease, similar to Ebola. According to reports, people in the Central African nation have reported symptoms including fever, fatigue, blood-stained vomit and diarrhoea.
In a statement, the health agency said, “Further investigations are ongoing. Advance teams have been deployed in the affected districts to trace contacts, isolate and provide medical care to people showing symptoms of the disease.”
Last week, the Central African nation, said that an investigation into the suspected cases of hemorrhagic fever in the rural eastern region bordering Gabon and Cameroon was underway and only three people had shown some “light symptoms.” However, days later, the Health Minister of Equatorial Guinea, Mitoha Ondo’o Ayekaba, said that a “health alert” has been issued in Kie-Ntem province and the neighbouring Mongomo district.
Additionally, the health minister also said that the “lockdown plan implemented” was in consultation with the WHO and the United Nations. “Surveillance in the field has been intensified”, said the health agency’s representative in Equatorial Guinea, George Ameh. He added, “Contact tracing, as you know, is a cornerstone of the response. We have…redeployed the COVID-19 teams that were there for contact tracing and quickly retrofitted them to really help us out.”
As of now, they are working on a 30-day response plan where they will be able to quantify and gauge the exact measures and needs, said the WHO representative in Equatorial Guinea. According to the WHO, the local health authorities reported an unknown illness causing hemorrhagic fever cases and it was not until the samples were sent to Senegal that they were able to confirm at least one positive case of the Marburg virus disease in the country.
Suspected cases detected in Cameroon
The neighbouring Cameroon, which had previously restricted movement along its borders over concerns about the virus also reported two suspected cases of Marburg disease on Tuesday (February 15). The region where it was detected, Olamze, is said to be a commune on the border with Equatorial Guinea, said the local public health delegate Robert Mathurin Bidjang.
ALSO WATCH | Gravitas: Equatorial Guinea reports 9 Marburg deaths. WHO calls for an emergency meeting
In a meeting at the country’s capital Yaounde, Bidjang said that the two suspected cases of the Marburg disease detected on February 13 and the 16-year-old children, a boy and a girl, “have no previous travel history to the affected areas in Equatorial Guinea”. He added that some 42 people have come in contact with these children and have since been identified as they continue to contact trace, reported Reuters.
According to the WHO, the Marburg virus disease (MVD) is a highly virulent disease which comes from the same family of viruses that causes Ebola. The rare virus was first identified in 1967 after it caused multiple and simultaneous outbreaks of disease in laboratories in the German cities of Marburg and Frankfurt as well as the Serbian capital Belgrade. At least seven people died after being exposed to the virus who were said to have been conducting research on monkeys. The disease was also later associated with the African green monkeys from Uganda, however, the natural carrier of the Marburg virus is the African fruit bat.
The fatality ratio of the disease is up to 88 per cent, as per WHO. However, depending on the strain and the management of symptoms, the fatality rates for the virus can be lowered to at least 24 per cent. Furthermore, the Marburg virus is part of the so-called filovirus family which includes Ebola which has led to thousands of deaths in the African continent over the years. Previously, an outbreak of the Marburg virus took place in Angola and killed 90 per cent of the little over 250 people infected. The disease also led to two deaths in Ghana just last year.
Yes, like Ebola human-to-human transmission of this virus occurs through contact with the blood or bodily fluids of infected people, or surfaces.
What are the symptoms of Marburg disease?
According to the United States Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the illness is sudden and marked by fever, chills, headache, and muscle pain. Around the 5th day, the infected person can also experience nausea, vomiting, chest pain, sore throat, abdominal pain, and diarrhoea. Additionally, many patients develop severe haemorrhagic symptoms between 5 and 7 days, as per the WHO. The virus reportedly also targets several organs at the time, affecting the body’s ability to function and can also cause confusion in the infected person.
Is there any treatment or vaccine?
So far, there have been no authorised vaccines or drugs to treat Marburg disease. However, rehydration seems to have alleviated symptoms and can improve the chances of survival.
(With inputs from agencies)
