Equatorial Guinea on Monday confirmed its first-ever outbreak of Marburg virus disease, which has also killed nine persons in the country.
According to the World Health Organisation, preliminary tests carried out following the deaths of at least nine people in the country’s western Kie Ntem Province turned out positive for viral haemorrhagic fever.
Marburg virus disease is a highly virulent disease, with a fatality ratio of up to 88 per cent. It is in the same family as the virus that causes Ebola virus disease.
The virus is transmitted to people from fruit bats and spreads among humans through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people, surfaces, and materials.
Unfortunately, there are no vaccines or antiviral treatments approved to treat the virus. However, supportive care – rehydration with oral or intravenous fluids – and treatment of specific symptoms, improve survival