[ad_1]
West African authorities have announced the first known case of Marburg virus in the region, after at least one person has died in Guinea from a hemorrhagic fever, the World Health Organization has said.
Additionally, health officials said they were trying to locate anyone who may have come into contact with the patient seeking treatment in Guékidou, southern Guinea.
The case was reported in the same part of Guinea, where the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak began and ultimately killed at least 11,325 people. A much weaker Ebola outbreak earlier this year also struck the same region near Guinea’s borders with Sierra Leone and Liberia, killing 12 people.
From the Ebola family
It should be noted that the Marburg virus belongs to the same family as Ebola and has already spread to other places in Africa in Angola, Congo, Kenya, South Africa and Uganda.
The new case was confirmed in West Africa by a laboratory in Guinea and again by the Pasteur Institute in neighboring Senegal, according to the World Health Organization.
transmitted by animals
Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, said: “The potential for a large-scale Marburg virus outbreak means we need to stop it dead. We are working with health authorities to put a stop to it. implementing a rapid response that draws on the experience and expertise of the former Guinea in the management of Ebola., which is transmitted in a similar way.
A Marburg virus outbreak begins when an infected animal, such as a monkey or fruit bat, transmits the virus to humans. Then the virus is spread from person to person through contact with bodily fluids of an infected person.
Symptoms of the virus
While the symptoms of this deadly virus include a high temperature and muscle pain, some patients later bleed through body openings such as the eyes and ears. There are no approved drugs or vaccines for Marburg, but rehydration and other supportive care can improve a patient’s chances of survival.
Source link
