An outbreak of the life-threatening Marburg virus, which is similar to Ebola, has been diagnosed in the West African country of Guinea. The World Health Organization (WHO) comes to the rescue.
Health authorities in Guinea have reported that one person has died as a result of the rare Marburg virus. It is the first fatality from the virus in West Africa, according to the World Health Organization.
The WHO is working with authorities in the West African country of Guinea to ensure that the highly contagious disease does not spread further.
It is important to isolate patients as soon as possible and trace all people with whom they have had contact to prevent further spread. The Marburg virus can kill a healthy person within a week.
Health care not up to standard
“We need to stop the virus before it can spread,” Matshidiso Moeti, director of the WHO’s African Department, told the British newspaper. The Guardian. “Together, we will ensure that the experience and expertise that Guinea has gained during the fight against the Ebola outbreak is used to quickly eliminate the danger.”
Infectiologist Erika Vlieghe is not reassured. “The whole world is still dealing with Covid. Just imagine if this also gets out of hand,” she says The morning. “Guinea has of course gone through a major Ebola epidemic, but the health care there certainly does not have the level of expertise of, for example, Uganda, where the infrastructure to contain such a virus is a lot stronger.”
In 2014, the last major Ebola outbreak started in the Guinea region. It then led to at least 11,000 deaths.
Risk of death: 24 to 88 percent
The Marburg virus is mainly found in central and eastern Africa. But the virus gets its name from the German city of Marburg, where it was detected in 1967. That happened after laboratory workers became ill after contact with infected monkeys imported from Uganda.
Since 1967, there have been 12 major outbreaks of the Marburg virus, mainly in eastern and southern Africa.
The virus leads to so-called hemorrhagic fever, which can also cause bleeding. Muscle aches and headaches are also symptoms. There is still uncertainty about the virus. The chance of death after infection is said to be between 24 and 88 percent.
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