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Deadly Marburg virus causes outbreak in ANOTHER African country for first time

Deadly Marburg virus causes outbreak in ANOTHER African country for first time: Five dead in Tanzania and over 100 are feared to be infected with pathogen that has a 90% kill rate

One of the world’s deadliest diseases has spread to another African country for the first time.

Marburg virus — which kills 90 percent of sufferers and has no cure — has killed five people in Tanzania, including a healthcare worker, while another three patients are being treated in hospital.

The cases are in the northern city of Bukoba, Kagera province, which is home to 120,000 people. More than a hundred residents feared to have been exposed to the virus are now being monitored.

Marburg — an Ebola-like disease that causes fever, vomiting and major bleeding from the eyeballs, nose and gums — is endemic to areas of central Africa including Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It has also previously cropped up in Kenya.

But the new outbreak comes barely a month after Marburg virus struck Equatorial Guinea for the first time on the other side of the continent.

The above map shows where Marburg virus is endemic (red) and the two countries where it has been detected for the first time this year (yellow). It also shows the provinces of these countries where they have been detected (bright yellow)

The above map shows where Marburg virus is endemic (red) and the two countries where it has been detected for the first time this year (yellow). It also shows the provinces of these countries where they have been detected (bright yellow)

The Marburg virus has an incubation period of up to 21 days. The virus attacks the kidney and spleen and causes clotting and inflammation around the body. Symptoms can be pretty severe, such as rashes, bleeding from the eyes and delirium. A large portion of cases result in death, and even survivors suffer permanent damage. Pictured: Sufferers of Ebola, which falls in the same family of viruses as Marburg

The Marburg virus has an incubation period of up to 21 days. The virus attacks the kidney and spleen and causes clotting and inflammation around the body. Symptoms can be pretty severe, such as rashes, bleeding from the eyes and delirium. A large portion of cases result in death, and even survivors suffer permanent damage. Pictured: Sufferers of Ebola, which falls in the same family of viruses as Marburg

Five of the eight patients in the country’s north are confirmed to have died.

The cases were diagnosed following testing carried out at the country’s main laboratory in the capital Dar Es Salaam.

A rapid response team including workers from the World Health Organization has now been deployed to contain the outbreak.

It is not clear how the patients became infected, but Marburg virus can be passed on via contact with blood or fluids from a patient.

The WHO’s regional director for Africa, Matshidiso Moeti, said: ‘We are working with the Government to rapidly scale up control measures to halt the spread of the virus and end the outbreak as soon as possible.

‘The lessons learnt, and progress made during other recent outbreaks, should stand the country in good stead as it confronts this latest challenge.’

Moeti said that although Tanzania had not previously faced Marburg, it had recently coped with a number of health emergencies including Covid, cholera and dengue fever.

Marburg virus has been touted as a next  big pandemic threat, with the WHO describing it as ‘epidemic prone’.

It can jump into humans from fruit bats that live across central Africa and can also be spread between people via contact with bodily fluids from an infected person. People can also catch the disease by touching towels or surfaces that have also come into contact with an infected person.

Marburg virus can incubate in people it infects for two to 21 days before causing symptoms.

But warning signs, when they do erupt, initially look similar to other tropical diseases like Ebola and malaria.

Infected patients become ‘ghost-like’, often developing deep-set eyes and expressionless faces.

But in later stages, it triggers bleeding from multiple orifices including the nose, gums, eyes and vagina.

There are no vaccines or treatments approved for the virus, with doctors instead having to rely on drugs to ease symptoms and fluids to hydrate patients. 

Tanzania’s outbreak follows just weeks after another in Equatorial Guinea on the other side of the continent.

Authorities in the country are keeping tight-lipped about the situation on the ground, however, having not released an update since late February.

MVD has a mortality rate of up to 90 percent. There are currently no vaccines or treatments approved to treat the virus

MVD has a mortality rate of up to 90 percent. There are currently no vaccines or treatments approved to treat the virus

Marburg virus (MVD) is initially transmitted to people from fruit bats and spreads among humans through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people, surfaces and materials.

In its last update, however, it said 11 people in a northern province of the country had died from the virus. At least 16 are reported to have been infected, while 48 were also said to be under monitoring.

The cases emerged in early January, with the last that was announced as having become infected in late February.

Two villages in the northern region of the province of Kie-Ntem were affected, which is on the border with Cameroon. 

It was alleged that two children were also suspected to have Marburg virus in Cameroon, but this was later rejected by the nation’s health authorities.

Everything YOU need to know about Marburg: What are the symptoms? How does it spread? Will it reach the United States? 

How deadly is Marburg?

Marburg is one of the deadliest pathogens known to man.

The WHO says it has a case-fatality ratio (CFR) of up to 90 percent.

But experts estimate that it probably sits closer to the 50 percent mark, similar to its cousin Ebola — another member of the filoviridae family.

That means that out of every 100 people confirmed to be infected with Marburg, half would be expected to die.

Scientists don’t, however, know the infection-fatality rate, which measures everyone who gets infected — not just cases that test positive.

For comparison, Covid had a CFR of around three percent when it burst onto the scene.

What are the tell-tale symptoms?

Symptoms appear abruptly and include severe headaches, fever, diarrhoea, stomach pain and vomiting. They become increasingly severe.

In the early stages of MVD — the disease it causes — it is very difficult to distinguish from other tropical illnesses, such as Ebola, and malaria.

Infected patients become ‘ghost-like’, often developing deep-set eyes and expressionless faces.

This is usually accompanied by bleeding from multiple orifices — including the nose, gums, eyes and vagina.

Like Ebola, even dead bodies can spread the virus to people exposed to its fluids.

How does the virus spread?

Human infections typically start in areas where people have prolonged exposure to mines or caves inhabited by infected fruit bat colonies.

Fruit bats naturally harbor the virus.

It can, however, then spread between humans, through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people, surfaces and materials.

Contaminated clothing and bedding are a risk, as are burial ceremonies that involve direct contact with the deceased.

In Equatorial Guinea, the virus was found in samples taken from deceased patients suffering from symptoms including fever, fatigue and blood-stained vomit and diarrhea.

Healthcare workers have been frequently infected while treating Marburg patients.

Gavi, an international organization promoting vaccine access, says that people in Africa should avoid eating or handling bushmeat.

Is there a vaccine?

No vaccines are currently approved to treat the virus.

The WHO convened an urgent meeting on Monday over the rising cases, calling in experts from around the world.

Members of the Marburg virus vaccine consortium (MARVAC) — speaking to the WHO — said it could take months for effective vaccines and therapeutics to become available, as manufacturers would need to gather materials and perform trials.

Experts identified 28 experimental vaccine candidates that could be effective against the virus — most of which were developed to combat Ebola.

Five were highlighted in particular as vaccines to be explored.

Three vaccine developers — Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Public Health Vaccines and the Sabin Vaccine Institute — said they may be able to make doses available to test in the current outbreak.

The vaccines from Janssen and Sabin have already gone through phase one clinical trials. However, none of the vaccines are available in large quantities.

Public Health Vaccines’ jab was also recently found to protect against the virus in monkeys, and the Food and Drug Administration has cleared it for human testing.

How bad were previous Marburg clusters and where were they?

Before this outbreak, only 30 cases had been recorded globally from 2007 to 2022.

Angola, in central Africa, faced the largest known outbreak in 2004. It had a 90 percent fatality rate, with 227 deaths among 252 infected people, according to the Angolan Government.

Last September, Ghana declared the end of a Marburg outbreak which affected the country’s Ashanti, Savannah and Western regions.

Could it reach Britain or the US?

Most outbreaks of Marburg fizzle out after infecting a few people.

For this reason, experts say the chances of it sparking a pandemic are tiny. Yet, it is not impossible.

Professor Whitworth told MailOnline yesterday: ‘Marburg outbreaks are always concerning because of the high case fatality rate and the potential for spreading from person to person by close contact.’

However, the speed at which the outbreak in Equatorial Guinea was spotted by officials may have helped dampen the spread of infection so far, he advised.

He said: ‘This outbreak has occurred in a remote forested area of Equatorial Guinea which limits the potential for spreading fast or affecting many people.

‘It also appears to have been spotted quickly, the number of suspected cases is small and the first death under investigation occurred on January 7, so only about five weeks ago.’

But he added: ‘The outbreak has occurred close to the international borders with Cameroun and Gabon so international coordination will be required.

‘So, overall, the risk for Equatorial Guinea and the region is moderate, and the risk of it spreading outside the region is very low.’

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