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Equatorial Guinea announces that nine people have died of Marburg virus disease in the province of Kié Ntem. This forest area, in the northeast of the country, has been quarantined with the support of the World Health Organization (WHO).
This is the first time that this Central African country has been confronted with this virus from the Ebola family. Malabo authorities announced last week that they were investigating suspected cases of haemorrhagic fever in Kié Ntem province. Eight samples had been sent to the Institut Pasteur in Dakar. The test results have spoken. One of the samples tested positive for Marburg virus disease.
This virus from the Ebola family causes fevers, severe headaches, malaise, then often fatal haemorrhages. Highly contagious, it has already raged in several Central African countries, but also in Guinea and, last summer, in Ghana. In the absence of a vaccine or specific treatment, the only remedies are the isolation of suspected cases and the treatment of symptoms.
So far, only three people have been hospitalized. The Equatoguinean health authorities assure that their symptoms are evolving favorably. The Malabo authorities have also put in place a containment plan for the province of Kié Ntem, in close collaboration with the WHO, which is sending tents and protective kits for health personnel. On the other side of the border, in Cameroon, the health authorities announced at the end of last week that they had taken preventive measures.
► To read also: Cameroon on the alert after cases of hemorrhagic fever in Equatorial Guinea
