'Do not travel' alert as WHO warns of incurable disease after eight die

-Credit: (Image: AP)
-Credit: (Image: AP)


There is a 'high' risk a deadly incurable disease will spread, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned. Health chiefs are attempting to trace 300 people who may have come into contact with people who have contracted Marburg Virus Disease (MVD).

There have been 26 cases and eight deaths. There is currently no available treatment or vaccine for the disease - a highly virulent disease which can cause haemorrhagic fever and is clinically similar to Ebola diseases.

The Rwanda Ministry of Health has confirmed the country's first outbreak of the disease after finding cases in seven of 30 districts. More than 70 per cent of confirmed cases are healthcare workers from two health facilities in Kigali.

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Patients are currently being cared for in hospitals. The Government of Rwanda is coordinating the response to the disease with support from WHO and partners.

A WHO spokesman said: "This is why it is important for people showing Marburg-like symptoms to seek care early for supportive treatment which can improve patient survival. WHO assesses the risk of this outbreak as very high at the national level, high at the regional level, and low at the global level."

One contact travelled internationally. They remained healthy, completed the monitoring period and did not present with any symptoms.

The source of the infection is still under investigation. Marburg and Ebola viruses are both members of the Filoviridae family (filovirus).

People are initially infected with Marburg virus when they come into close contact with Rousettus bats - a type of fruit bat that can carry the Marburg virus and are often found in mines or caves. Marburg virus spreads between people through direct contact - such as through broken skin or mucous membranes - with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected people.

It also spreads among surfaces and materials - such as bedding and clothing - contaminated with fluids. Healthcare workers have previously been infected while treating patients with suspected or confirmed MVD.

Burial ceremonies involving direct contact with the body of the deceased can also contribute to the transmission of Marburg virus. The incubation period can be between two to 21 days.

Illness caused by Marburg virus begins abruptly, with high fever, severe headache and severe malaise. Severe watery diarrhoea, abdominal pain and cramping, nausea and vomiting can begin on the third day.

Severe haemorrhagic symptoms may appear between five and seven days from symptoms onset. Fatal cases usually have some form of bleeding, often from multiple areas.

In fatal cases, death occurs most often between eight and nine days after symptoms begin. There is usually severe blood loss and shock.

Some possible vaccines are currently under development. Several outbreaks of MVD have previously been reported from countries neighbouring Rwanda, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania.

The most recent outbreaks were reported in Equatorial Guinea and the United Republic of Tanzania between February and June 2023. Other countries which previously reported outbreaks of MVD in the African Region included Angola, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, and South Africa.

There is a risk of the outbreak spreading to neighbouring countries since cases have been reported in districts located at the borders with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the United Republic of Tanzania, and Uganda. Further risk of international spread is also high as confirmed cases have been reported in the capital city with an international airport and road networks to several cities in East Africa.

Based on the current risk assessment, WHO advises against any travel and trade restrictions with Rwanda.