MADRID, February 25 (Reuters) – Spain has its first suspected case of Marburg disease discovereda deadly infectious disease that has led to the quarantine of more than 200 people in Equatorial Guinea, health authorities in the Spanish region of Valencia said on Saturday.
A 34-year-old man, who had recently been to Equatorial Guinea, has been transferred from a private hospital to an isolation ward of the Hospital Faith in Valencia while tests are carried out, regional health authorities said.
88% lethal
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the Marburg virus can have a fatality rate of 88%. No vaccines or antiviral treatments have been approved to treat the virus.
Equatorial Guinea quarantined more than 200 people on February 13 and restricted movement in Kie-Ntem province, where the hemorrhagic fever was first diagnosed.
According to the WHO, the small Central African country has so far reported nine deaths and 16 suspected cases of the disease, with symptoms including fever, fatigue, vomiting blood and diarrhoea.
The WHO said it is expanding its epidemiological surveillance in Equatorial Guinea.
Cameroon
Cameroonian authorities detected two suspected cases of Marburg disease in Olamze, a municipality on the border with Equatorial Guinea, on Feb. 13, the region’s public health deputy, Robert Mathurin Bidjang, said on Feb. 14.
Cameroon has restricted traffic along the border to prevent contamination.
