2024-09-29 12:08:28
The first outbreak of the Marburg virus has been confirmed in Rwanda. The contagious fever disease is related to Ebola and is often fatal.
Rwanda has confirmed six deaths from Marburg disease. “We count 20 infected people and six who have already died from the virus. The vast majority of cases and deaths are among health workers, especially in intensive care,” Rwandan Health Minister Sabin Nsanzimana said in a video statement late Saturday (local time). , which was published on X. Facilities and partners are making efforts to trace the contacts of those affected by the virus, the minister added.
Canadian medical journalist Helen Branswell writes on X that the Marburg outbreak in Rwanda is already the fourth or fifth largest outbreak ever. However, she points out that outbreaks in the past have always been small and were quickly contained.
The Marburg virus belongs to the same family of viruses as the Ebola virus and is transmitted to humans by fruit bats. It then spreads from person to person through contact with bodily fluids from infected people.
The Marburg virus can cause a so-called hemorrhagic fever in infected people, i.e. a fever that can also be accompanied by internal bleeding. Symptoms include severe headaches, vomiting, muscle pain and stomach pain, according to the Rwandan Ministry of Health. Depending on the treatment options, a quarter to 88 percent of those affected die.
Neighboring Tanzania recorded cases of Marburg virus in 2023, while Uganda had similar cases in 2017.