First case of fatal Marburg virus disease identified in West Africa

A case of Marburg virus disease, a highly contagious disease that causes hemorrhagic fever, has been identified for the first time in West Africa.

Guinean health authorities confirmed the case on Sunday after the virus was detected in a sample taken from a patient who has since died, the statement said. World Health Organization (WHO). Epidemics and sporadic cases of the disease have already been seen in parts of eastern, central and southern Africa, as well as in Europe, but this is the first documented case in West Africa.

The Marburg virus is from the same family (Filoviridae) like the virus that causes Ebola. Sadly, this case was detected less than two months after Guinea declared the end of an Ebola outbreak that began in February this year.

Marburg virus disease causes a series of symptoms which are just as unpleasant as those seen with Ebola. The disease starts suddenly, usually with a high fever, severe headache, severe fatigue, and muscle pain. On day 3, people will start to experience severe watery diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. As this phase of the disease progresses, people are said to have a ghostly appearance with sunken eyes, expressionless faces, and extreme lethargy.

Between 5 and 7 days, fatal cases will start to suffer from some form of bleeding from the nose, gums and vagina, as well as blood in the vomit and stool. The central nervous system will also begin to be affected, with patients sometimes experiencing confusion and aggression.

If the case is fatal, most people die around 8 or 9 days after first experiencing symptoms. The average case fatality rate is around 50 percent, although it has ranged from 24 percent to 88 percent in past outbreaks depending on virus strain and case management.

There is currently no approved vaccine or antiviral treatment for Marburg virus disease. However, early treatment and rehydration can dramatically improve a patient’s chances of survival.

The Marburg virus was described for the first time in 1967 after at least 32 people fell ill in the German cities of Marburg and Frankfurt, and in Belgrade in Yugoslavia (now Serbia). All cases were dates back to laboratories in the three cities that had recently imported a shipment of infected African green monkeys from Uganda.

As suggested, the virus can infect non-human primates as well, but the virus is believed to originate from Egyptian bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus) that can be found in pockets across Africa and parts of the Middle East.

There is a little reasons why bats are one of the main sources of nasty viruses that can cause disease in humans, including Nipah virus, Hendra virus, Ebola, rabies and a pile of coronavirus. This is mainly due to their overloaded immune system. To fuel their ability to fly, bats raise their metabolic rate. The downside to this is tissue damage caused by the buildup of reactive molecules, which requires a strong immune system to cleanse itself. This rock-solid immune system in bats creates an environment that allows ferocious viruses to evolve. Once these robust viruses manage to jump into another species of mammal with a less robust immune system, it can prove to be devastating. It is most likely, but not certain, how SARS-CoV-2 it has been found.