news desk Lord, save her
In a follow-up to an outbreak of unknown etiology in TanzaniaHealth officials announced today that the cause of the outbreak that has killed five people and hospitalized three others in Kagera County is Marburg virus disease (MVD).
The national laboratory confirmed the presence of the Marburg virus, officials reported on Twitter.
Wizara ya Afya Tanzania issued the following public notice today:
One of the reported deaths was in a healthcare worker. 161 contact cases have been identified and are being monitored.
the Global Health Organization It announced that it would deploy an emergency team to Kagera to conduct further epidemiological investigations. The emergency team will focus on detecting active cases in the community and local healthcare facilities to identify more contacts and provide them with appropriate care.
Marburg virus disease is highly virulent and causes hemorrhagic fever with a mortality rate of up to 88%. It is from the same family as the virus that causes Ebola virus disease. The disease caused by the Marburg virus begins suddenly, with a high fever, severe headache, and severe malaise. Many patients develop severe hemorrhagic symptoms within seven days. The virus is transmitted to humans from fruit bats and spreads between humans through direct contact with infected persons’ bodily fluids, surfaces, and materials.
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, improves survival.
