The first person in Guinea to be infected with the Marburg virus disease has died, confirmed the WHO (World Health Organization).
The patient's lab tests confirming the Marburg viral infection, and his subsequent death, have put health authorities in Guinea on high alert.
155 people with who the deceased came into direct contact, have been isolated and are under 'active surveillance' according to the WHO.
Although the virus is rare, it is contagious and has a high fatality rate, and the WHO has warned caution saying the virus must be "stopped in it's tracks."
What is the Marburg virus? How does it spread? FIT answers your FAQs.
What is the Marburg virus disease?
The Marburg virus disease, caused by the Marburg virus is one that caused haemorrhagic fever–a group of illnesses caused by a specific set of viruses.
Marburg is classified in the the same family as the Ebola virus.
The virus gets its name from the town in Germany where it was first identified in 1967.
Though it is rare, it is thought to be a dangerous virus with a fatality ratio of 88 percent according to the WHO.
How does it spread?
The African fruit bat, Rousettus aegyptiacus is thought to be the primary carrier of the disease.
Accoring to the WHO, Humans typically contract the illness when they are exposed to caves and mines inhabited by Rousettus bats.
Once a person is infected, they can directly spread it to other people, much like Ebola, Zika, and COVID-19 viruses.
From person to person, the virus spreads through direct contact with blood, organs, secretions or other bodily fluids.
It can also spread through contact with surfaces that may have traces of these bodily fluids like bedding, or cutlery.
Is it contageous?
Yes, the Marburg virus disease is highly contagious.
While the virus doesn't cause symptoms in bats, in humans it can manifest as serious illnesses and even cause fatality.
The virus has been found to spread in close environments through direct contact.
What are the symptoms of Marburg hemorrhagic fever?
According to the US CDC (Centre for Disease Control and Prevention), the virus has an incubation period of 5 to 10 days.
The most common symptoms to show up are,
Fever
Chills
Headache
Muscle Pain (Myalgia)
Around the 5th day mark, some people may also develop rashes on their stomach, chest or back areas.
Some other symptoms of Marburg fever include,
Nausea and vomiting
Chest pain
Sore throat
Abdominal pain
Diarrhoea
In serious cases the fever could also result in jaundice, delirium, and multi-organ failure.
According to the WHO, some patients also develop severe haemorrhage.
How is it diagnosed?
Diagnosing Marburg fever can be hard because it's symptoms are the same as many other viral infections like malaria and typhoid.
Certain antigen tests, though, can help detect the virus in a person's body.
Is it like SARS CoV-2?
No, the Marburg virus is different from the COVID-19 virus, SARS CoV-2.
Though health authorities have said that the virus is from the Ebola virus family, director general of WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in a press briefing on Wednesday, said that the general protocall to contain it would be the same–isolation, tracing, quarantining.
How is it treated?
There is no treatment specifically available for Marburg fever.
Like many other viral infections, it is treated with supportive care (maintaining fluids and electrolytes, monitoring blood pressure and oxygen saturation levels) and symptomic treatments like anti-inflammatory drugs to bring down the fever.
What is the status of the 155 people who came in contact with the confirmed case in Guinea?
"There is no known secondary case ... The contacts have been traced, and 155 people are under observation for three weeks," WHO's country head in Guinea, Georges Ki-Zerbo,, was quoted by Reuters.
He also added that they are currently isolating in their homes and have been kept under active surveillance.
Ki-Zerbo also added that Guinea is now better equipped to handle an outbreak of the virus because of the health care system they set up between 2014 and 2016 to combat Ebola.
(Written with inputs from Reuters and BBC.)
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