Nine people have died as a result of the Marburg virus in Equatorial Guinea's Kie Ntem Province.
According to the Economic Times, besides the nine reported cases, 16 other suspected cases have been reported, and nearly 200 people have been quarantined to prevent any further infections.
Photo via Healthline
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that the virus causes hemorrhagic fever and is similar to the 'Ebola' virus, which is highly virulent and has a fatality ratio of up to 88%.
It was noted that prior outbreaks and isolated cases have happened in other parts of Africa, including Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea, Kenya, South Africa, and Uganda, but that this was the first Marburg outbreak to occur in the country in central Africa.
The first cases of the Marburg virus were also recorded in West Africa, in Ghana in July last year where two deaths were reported. However, the outbreak was declared over in September.
WHO will also be sending out experts in epidemiology, case management, infection prevention, laboratory, and risk communication to assist with the national response operations to ensure that the community outbreak is being contained.
“The Marburg virus is very contagious. However, due to the Equatorial Guinea government’s swift response, we were able to confirm the virus’ outbreak.
“This way, emergency responses are able to be deployed right away which saves lives and will try to put a stop to the virus as soon as possible,” said WHO’s regional director for Africa, Dr. Matshi Moeti.
We hope everyone in Africa is staying safe!
