Jakarta –
The cases of the Marburg virus that we are wary of have the potential to become the next pandemic continue to increase. There have been a total of eight new cases identified in Equatorial Guinea according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
New cases were announced on Thursday (23/3/2023). Therefore, the total number of confirmed cases is nine patients, while the number of suspected cases is 20. An outbreak of this deadly Ebola-like disease was announced last February, with 20 deaths reported.
Of the eight new cases, two were from the Central African country’s Kie-Ntem province, four from the Litoral province and two from Centre-Sur province, the WHO said in a statement.
The areas reporting cases were about 150 kilometers (93 miles) away, indicating more widespread transmission of the virus, the WHO said.
“Confirmation of these new cases is an important signal to step up response efforts to quickly stop the chain of transmission,” WHO Director Africa Matshidiso Moeti said in a statement.
“Marburg viral disease is a viral hemorrhagic fever that can have a mortality rate of up to 88 percent,” the WHO said.
Symptoms include fever, fatigue, vomiting blood and diarrhea. There are no approved vaccines or antiviral treatments to treat it.
Neighboring Cameroon also detected two suspected cases of Marburg’s disease last month although it has restricted movement along the border to avoid transmission.
Watch Video “Recognize the Early Symptoms of the Marburg Virus Appearing in Africa“
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