The WHO chief is in Kigali to support Rwanda’s efforts as the country moves closer to eradicating the Marburg virus outbreak, marking a significant public health achievement.
On Sunday, the health minister highlighted that there have been no new infections or deaths reported in the past six days.
Health officials have verified 44 recoveries, with just three active cases still present.
The disease, similar to Ebola, has resulted in 15 fatalities so far.
We have been asking everyone with symptoms suggestive of the Marburg virus to contact us, and out of all those we tested in the past four weeks, no one has tested positive for Marburg. This is fantastic news because it indicates that there is no community transmission, a crucial marker in controlling the outbreak. While this isn’t the end, it’s a significant step forward towards halting its spread.
Rwanda has recorded 1,146 contacts.
He stated that every positive case has originated from the known contacts of individuals carrying the virus.
Similar to Ebola, the Marburg virus is thought to originate from fruit bats and spreads among people through close contact with bodily fluids of infected individuals or contaminated surfaces like bed linens.
Symptoms include fever, muscle pain, diarrhea, vomiting, and in severe cases, death due to extreme blood loss.
Rwanda announced the outbreak on September 27, leading to the suspension of school activities and hospital visits to curb its spread.
Home vigils are prohibited if a death is associated with Marburg.
Visit to the command center leading the Marburg outbreak response
The director-general of the WHO commended the country for its efforts.
Dr. Tedros is embarking on a mission to Rwanda to directly evaluate the response to the Marburg virus outbreak and review the support being offered by WHO and its partners.
While in the country, Dr. Tedros visited health facilities caring for those infected by the virus and toured the command center managing the response. He also met with national health authorities and United Nations partners.
Tedros stated, “I observe that the outbreak is being handled with strong leadership.”
Key to halting outbreaks of viral hemorrhagic fevers such as Marburg is the identification and isolation of individuals exposed to contamination.
A study on a vaccine for Marburg was conducted earlier this month.
Dr. Tedros stated, “While there are currently no approved vaccines or treatments for Marburg, we commend Rwanda for swiftly launching trials of both. We hope these efforts will produce the necessary data to support future approvals in case of outbreaks.”
Without treatment, Marburg can be deadly in up to 88% of cases.
Providing early supportive care through rehydration and symptomatic treatment enhances survival rates.
The virus was initially identified in 1967 following simultaneous disease outbreaks in laboratories located in Marburg, Germany and Belgrade, Yugoslavia.
Seven researchers died after being exposed to the virus during their work with monkeys.
