Symptoms and contagions for Marburg virus as death toll rises to 11

The virus has been declared an outbreak of international concern by the World Health Organisation as 11 people have died and 37 cases have been confirmed in Africa

The Marburg virus, which bears a striking resemblance to Ebola in its manifestation, has been causing alarm after an outbreak was declared on September 27th. The initial outbreak was traced back to a healthcare facility in Rwanda, but the origin of the infection is still under investigation.

The situation escalated when a false alarm was raised in Germany, although the suspected patient has since tested negative for the disease. According to an update from the Rwandan Ministry of Health on Thursday, there have been 37 confirmed cases, with 21 patients currently in isolation or treatment and five having recovered.

The Independent reports that a majority of those affected are healthcare workers. Like Ebola, Marburg is believed to originate from fruit bats and spreads through close contact with contaminated bodily fluids or surfaces.

The prognosis for Marburg is devastating, with an 88% fatality rate for untreated individuals. Symptoms include fever, muscle pains, diarrhoea, vomiting, and in some cases, death due to extreme blood loss.

Over 1,000 tests have been carried out in Rwanda as nearly all individuals who were in contact with those confirmed to have Marburg are identified. Some of these people have been moved to isolation facilities, as containing the virus relies on isolation to stop the spread.

Rwandans have been urged to avoid physical contact too. The virus was first identified in 1967 during simultaneous outbreaks in Marburg, Germany and Belgrade, Serbia. Seven people died during the outbreak while they were conducting research on monkeys.

The most recent outbreaks, as reported by the UK Health Security Agency, were in March 2023 in Tanzania. This marked the first outbreak of Marburg Virus in the country and consisted of eight confirmed cases, one probable case and resulted in six deaths.

In February 2023, Equatorial Guinea suffered an outbreak in the north-east of the country, also the first outbreak of Marburg Virus in the country. It spread across four provinces with a total of 17 confirmed cases and 12 deaths alongside 23 probable cases, all of which were fatal.