Yaoundé, Cameroon

The deadly disease, caused by the Marburg virus outbreak, seems to have re-emerged in Africa as humanity is still reeling under the economic and health predicaments induced by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Marburg virus disease is being blamed for the death of nine people in the Central African country of Equatorial Guinea. The government has now declared a “health alert” in the country’s Kie-Ntem province, where 16 suspected cases have already been confirmed. The World Health Organization (WHO) is conducting an investigation into the Marburg virus outbreak and advance teams have already been deployed in the affected area. The government of Equatorial Guinea is also investigating the outbreak and revealed that only three people were showing light symptoms of the disease.

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Health alert declared in affected areas of Equatorial Guinea

The authorities in Equatorial Guinea have declared a health alert in the Kie-Ntem province and the neighbouring district of Mongomo. As per the country’s health minister Mitoha Ondo’o Ayekaba, a lockdown plan has also been implemented after consultations with the WHO and UN. If the outbreak of the deadly Marburg virus is not checked, it could even spread to other parts of the continent as the affected areas are located close to the borders of Gabon and Cameroon. Cameroon has already detected two suspected cases of Marburg virus, including a 16-year-old boy and girl near the border with Equatorial Guinea. Quarantine measures have also been introduced in the affected areas, which have impacted 4,325 people in the country.

Marburg virus spreads to neighbouring Cameroon

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Cameroon also reported two possible cases of the deadly Marburg virus infections. A 16-year-old boy and girl from Cameroon’s Olamze, located just two miles away from the border with Equatorial Guinea, are believed to have contracted the virus. They were showing symptoms like bleeding from the eyes and severe fever. Neither of the two infected teens travelled to Equatorial Guinea in the past few days.

What are the symptoms of the Marburg virus?

WHO has released a list of symptoms that a person can show after contracting the Marburg virus. According to the health body, Marburg virus symptoms may include fever, fatigue, as well as blood-stained vomit and diarrhoea. As per information available on the internet, the virus takes 2 to 21 days to incubate, leading to high fever, headache and muscular pain, accompanied by vomiting blood. The symptoms are similar to typhoid and malaria, so the Marburg virus disease is difficult to diagnose initially. The body's capacity to function on its own is decreased as a result of the virus' constant targeting of multiple organs.

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How deadly is the Marburg virus disease?

Marburg virus is a lethal dangerous pathogen. It belongs to the so-called filovirus family which also includes the Ebola virus. The Ebola virus had wreaked havoc in Africa, claimed thousands of lives, and had a varied fatality rate ranging between 25% to 50%. The Marburg virus's fatality rates can range from 24% to 88% depending on the strain and hospital care. It must be noted that 90% of the 252 people who contracted the virus during an epidemic in Angola in 2004 ended up losing their lives. Two Marburg cases last year in Ghana also resulted in deaths. 

Human-to-human transmission of the Marburg virus

Human-to-human transmission of the Marburg virus is possible through contact with blood or other bodily fluids. It can spread in animals when they come in close proximity. The African fruit bat is considered the natural host of the Marburg virus disease, which carries it but doesn’t fall sick from it. That’s the reason why the government of Equatorial Guinea has implemented lockdown and quarantine measures in the affected areas.

Is any vaccine available for the Marburg virus?

As of today, no vaccine or treatment is available for the Marburg virus disease. However, rehydration treatment is used to alleviate symptoms which can increase the chance of survival. The Marburg virus outbreak can now provide researchers with a chance to test their potential vaccines in the affected area. Make no mistake, a number of experimental vaccines and drugs have already been developed by scientists that have shown promising results in animals, but they have not been tested on humans yet. 

Outbreaks like the one recorded in Equatorial Guinea are rare, so it could help the researchers further develop the experimental vaccines. A variety of prospective therapies for the Marburg virus are being assessed, including candidate vaccines with phase 1 evidence, immunological therapies, pharmacological therapies, and blood products.

Marburg virus origin and earlier outbreaks

The uncommon virus was first discovered in 1967 after it simultaneously caused disease outbreaks in laboratories in Marburg, Germany, and Belgrade, Serbia. Seven people had died then while conducting research on monkeys. Previous Marburg virus outbreaks and isolated cases have been reported in different countries of Africa, including Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea, Kenya, South Africa, and Uganda.

Two Marburg deaths were reported in Ghana in July 2022, along with the first cases in West Africa. In September, the outbreak was deemed to be over by the authorities. There have been past outbreaks and isolated cases in other countries of Africa as well, including Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea, Kenya, South Africa, and Uganda.