A man who died in West Africa tested positive for the Ebola-like Marburg virus – shared with health officials trying to stop the deadly disease before it can « spread far and wide » the World Health Organization.
The unidentified man fell ill with « fever, headache, fatigue [and] abdominal pain » last month in Gueckedou, Guinea near the border with Sierra Leone and Liberia, WHO officials said on Monday.
He died on August 2, and tests eventually showed he died of Marburg, a « highly contagious disease that causes hemorrhagic fever » – and has a mortality rate of up to 88 percent, the WHO said.
Marburg “belongs to the same family as the virus that causes Ebola,” which killed at least 11,325 people in the 2014-2016 epidemic that broke out in the same part of Guinea. The country was recently declared Ebola-free after 12 people were killed in a brief flare up earlier this year.
Marburg is believed to originate from bats and transmitted to humans from animal hosts.
« The potential of the Marburg virus to spread far and wide means that we have to stop it, » said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.
The agency dispatched 10 experts to assist local officials who said at least 146 people had been in contact with the man before he died.
» We are working with health authorities to implement a rapid response that builds on Guinea’s experience and expertise in dealing with Ebola, which is similarly transmitted, « said Moeti.
Marburg outbreaks begin when an infected one Animal like a monkey or flying fox can transmit the virus to a human. The virus then spreads from person to person through contact with the body fluids of an infected person.
Marburg symptoms include high fever and muscle pain, and some patients later bleed through body orifices such as eyes and ears, the WHO said / p> It’s the first time it’s been detected in Guinea, but previous outbreaks have broken out elsewhere in Africa in Angola, Congo, Kenya, South Africa and Uganda.
There is no approved drug or vaccine for Marburg, however Rehydration and other supportive measures can improve a patient’s chances of survival, said the WHO.
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