marburg virus

Following a case of the Marburg virus, WHO scientists are heading to Guinea

Last updated on September 11th, 2021 at 07:55 am

At least four people have been identified as contacts of a man who died in Guinea from the Ebola-like Marburg virus, according to the World Health Organization, which has sent specialists to the West African country to assist authorities in preventing an outbreak.

According to WHO spokesperson Fadela Chaib, the case, which was reported late Monday, is the first in West Africa – in a region where an Ebola outbreak killed at least 11,325 people between 2014 and 2016.

Authorities were tracing the man’s contacts, according to Chaib, who had visited a health center before he died. “At least four of the people with whom he came into contact are asymptomatic”.

Related Posts

As a result, the sickness was not visible “she stated She also stated that ten WHO personnel were in Guinea undertaking contact tracing”.

The Marburg virus belongs to the same family as Ebola, and epidemics have previously occurred in Angola, Congo, Kenya, South Africa, and Uganda. High fever and muscle pains are common Marburg symptoms, and some patients subsequently bleed through body openings such as the eyes and ears.

Although there is no approved medicine or vaccine to treat Marburg, rehydration and other supportive care can help a patient survive.

In earlier outbreaks, case mortality rates have reached as high as 88 percent, but WHO stated the amount varies depending on the strain and how cases are handled.