Deadly Marburg virus Outbreak

[nivek]

One of world's deadliest diseases kills nine in Equatorial Guinea: Fresh outbreak fears for incurable Marburg pathogen with up to 90% mortality rate​

Nine people have been killed in Equatorial Guinea by one of the world's deadliest diseases. Marburg virus has a mortality rate of up to 88 per cent — similar to its cousin Ebola.

It marks the first time the pathogen has ever been seen in the African nation, which is now scrambling to contain the outbreak.

Hundreds of people suspected to be infected with the virus, which currently has no cure, have already been quarantined.

Neighbouring countries Cameroon and Gabon have restricted movement along their borders over concerns about contagion.

International aid agencies have deployed teams on the ground in Kie Ntem, where all the cases so far have been spotted.

Sixteen people have also tested positive, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said yesterday.

Local officials initially raised the alarm last week after a mystery illness struck several people, causing Ebola-like symptoms.

Experts realised Marburg was to blame following preliminary tests.

The UN agency is convening an emergency meeting of the Marburg virus vaccine consortium later today to discuss the outbreak. No approved vaccine currently exists.

Marburg is initially transmitted to people from fruit bats and spreads among humans through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people, surfaces and materials.

Symptoms appear abruptly and include severe headaches, fever, diarrhoea, stomach pain and vomiting. They become increasingly severe.

In the early stages of MVD — the disease it causes — it is very difficult to distinguish from other tropical illnesses, such as Ebola, and malaria.

Infected patients become 'ghost-like', often developing deep-set eyes and expressionless faces.

This is usually accompanied by bleeding from multiple orifices — including the nose, gums, eyes and vagina.

The first outbreak was seen in 1967 in Germany and Serbia.

Dr Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO regional director for Africa, said: 'Marburg is highly infectious.

'Thanks to the rapid and decisive action by the Equatorial Guinean authorities in confirming the disease, emergency response can get to full steam quickly so that we save lives and halt the virus as soon as possible.'

MVD is normally associated with outbreaks in Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, South Africa and Uganda.

The WHO has deployed experts to support the affected districts in testing and contact tracing and providing medical care to those with symptoms of the disease.

Further 'health emergency experts' in epidemiology, case management, infection prevention, laboratory and risk communication are also being deployed, the WHO confirmed yesterday.

There are no vaccines or antiviral treatments approved to treat MVD.

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[nivek]

What Is Marburg? What You Need To Know About The Deadly Virus Detected In Equatorial Guinea​

KEY FACTS​

Marburg is a highly infectious viral hemorrhagic fever in the same family as Ebola.

The virus is initially transmitted to people from fruit bats and spreads among humans through contact with the bodily fluids of infected people, according to the WHO.

Illness begins suddenly and symptoms include high fever, muscle pains, bleeding, severe headaches, diarrhea and vomiting blood.

Marburg causes serious illness and can be lethal, with fatality rates from past outbreaks varying from 24% to 88% depending on virus strain and quality of care provided.

There are no vaccines or treatments approved to treat the virus—several are in early stages of development—though supportive care like rehydration and the treatment of specific symptoms can improve outcomes.

Experts recommend people avoid eating or handling bush meat—or to thoroughly cook it before consumption—and to avoid caves and mines that might be occupied by bats to minimize the risk of catching and spreading the virus.

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[nivek]

WHO convenes 'urgent' meeting over outbreak of Marburg virus - one of the world's deadliest diseases that kills 90% of patients and has no cure​

The World Health Organization (WHO) convened an urgent meeting Tuesday amid an outbreak in Africa of one of the deadliest diseases known to man.

The leading health body brought experts from around the world together to discuss how to ramp up the development of vaccines and therapeutics for Marburg virus.

There are growing fears that the world could be caught off guard by the currently untreatable infection that kills up to 88 percent of the people it infects.

The virus, considered a more dangerous cousin of Ebola, has killed nine people in Equatorial Guinea in the Central African nation's first outbreak. More than a dozen others are believed to be infected.

The highly-infectious pathogen - which causes some sufferers to bleed from their eyes - has been touted as the next big pandemic threat, with the WHO describing it as 'epidemic-prone'.

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[nivek]

Race against time for a vaccine for Marburg virus: Fears over stealthy disease that masquerades as a cold for days then suddenly causes organ failure and bleeding from multiple orifices - as outbreak in Africa spreads​

Global health chiefs are in a race against time to develop a vaccine for a virus that is a deadlier version of Ebola and appears to be spreading in Central Africa.

Panic is setting in about Marburg virus, which can initially masquerade as a cold before causing an explosion of horrifying symptoms, including organ failure and bleeding from multiple orifices.

An outbreak of the extremely deadly virus - which kills up to nine in 10 sufferers - was declared in Equatorial Guinea Monday after nine deaths and 16 suspected cases.

Last night neighboring Cameroon declared two suspected infections in a pair of teenagers with no travel links to Equatorial Guinea - indicating it is more widespread than official case counts suggest.

The disease causes the body's kidneys and spleen to fail to regulate fluids. It causes a hemorrhagic fever similar to that of Ebola. It causes cells around the body to expand as they are inflamed, blood clotting around the body, and eventually - organ failure.

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[nivek]

World Health Organization says risk of Marburg virus is 'very high' in Africa as pathogen with 90% death rate spreads to densely populated areas for first time​

The World Health Organization has warned the risk of Marburg virus is 'very high' — amid a deadly wave in Africa.

The virus - which has a death rate ranging from around 25 to 90 percent - has spread from rural districts in Equatorial Guinea to more densely populated areas and main transport hubs, raising the risk of further transmission.

At least four cases have been detected in the country's commercial capital Bata, a major cargo port city of about 200,000 people where international flights to neighbouring countries take off and arrive. Neighbouring Gabon and Cameroon are on high alert.

The current outbreak in Equatorial Guinea is thought to be the fourth largest ever recorded. Seven people have died there since mid-February, and officials have counted 29 confirmed and probable cases, up from 16 last week. In Tanzania, there have been eight cases as of March 22, five of whom are confirmed dead.

This is the first rash of cases both countries have seen. The WHO said in an alert over the weekend that the nationwide risk in Tanzania of getting Marburg virus is 'very high,' while the subregional risk is 'high' and the regional risk is 'moderate'.

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[nivek]

At least four cases have been detected in the country's commercial capital Bata, a major cargo port city of about 200,000 people where international flights to neighbouring countries take off and arrive. Neighbouring Gabon and Cameroon are on high alert.

This is disturbing, as we've seen at the beginning of the Covid pandemic, once the virus reaches international flights it quickly spread across the globe...

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[nivek]

Researcher Calls 1st Marburg Virus Outbreak A ‘Lab Leak,’ Here’s Why Experts Pushed Back

Researcher Calls 1st Marburg Virus Outbreak A ‘Lab Leak,’ Here’s Why Experts Pushed Back

A researcher tweeted what he called a “fun fact” about the Marburg Virus that’s currently spreading and threatening lives in Tanzania and Equatorial Guinea.

www.forbes.com

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[nivek]

Marburg Virus Outbreak Spreads to Equatorial Guinea's Commercial Capital​

The deadly outbreak of the Marburg virus, which causes symptoms similar to Ebola, has spread from rural districts in Equatorial Guinea to the country's commercial capital, Bata. The outbreak is already thought to be the fourth largest on record and could escalate after reaching a densely populated city.

The country's Health Ministry confirmed several cases in Bata, while the US embassy in the country gave the number of cases in the city as four. US officials advised against all but essential travel to the mainland of the country of 1.5 million and restricted transport for its own staff.

The outbreak in Equatorial Guinea is a cause for concern, given the potential for the virus to spread rapidly and cause significant harm. The country has a weak health system and limited resources to combat the outbreak, which could lead to a humanitarian crisis.

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[AD1184]

Researcher Calls 1st Marburg Virus Outbreak A ‘Lab Leak,’ Here’s Why Experts Pushed Back

Researcher Calls 1st Marburg Virus Outbreak A ‘Lab Leak,’ Here’s Why Experts Pushed Back

A researcher tweeted what he called a “fun fact” about the Marburg Virus that’s currently spreading and threatening lives in Tanzania and Equatorial Guinea.

www.forbes.com

This article is absurd. The people disagreeing with this characterization on Twitter are ridiculous. The term 'lab leak' can be used to describe how the first Marburg outbreak occurred. The people taking exception to this description are having to perform such wild linguistical contortions they are tying themselves in knots.

Didn't that Angela Rasmussen Tweet at you a couple of years ago to admonish you for a forum thread title, Nivek?

 

[nivek]

This article is absurd. The people disagreeing with this characterization on Twitter are ridiculous. The term 'lab leak' can be used to describe how the first Marburg outbreak occurred. The people taking exception to this description are having to perform such wild linguistical contortions they are tying themselves in knots.

Indeed, the naysayers don't make any sense, the CDC has this posted on their site:

Marburg virus was first recognized in 1967, when outbreaks of hemorrhagic fever occurred simultaneously in laboratories in Marburg and Frankfurt, Germany and in Belgrade, Yugoslavia (now Serbia). Thirty-one people became ill, initially laboratory workers followed by several medical personnel and family members who had cared for them.

Marburg Virus

Seems clearly to be a lab leak to me...

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Didn't that Angela Rasmussen Tweet at you a couple of years ago to admonish you for a forum thread title, Nivek?

Yep lol, and here we have another virus called by its origin city...

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[nivek]

CDC warns of Marburg virus after deadly Africa outbreak​

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is urging travelers to Guinea and Tanzania to be mindful of contracting the deadly Marburg virus. The CDC is also sending personnel to Africa to assist stopping the outbreak of the disease.

This week, the CDC announced that it is sending its National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases to respond to the outbreaks in Guinea and Tanzania. This week, the CDC urged travelers in Guinea and Tanzania to avoid contact with sick people, health care facilities in the outbreak areas and to watch for symptoms for three weeks after leaving the area.

The Marburg virus is an infectious disease that has high fatality rates and, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), has epidemic potential.

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[nivek]

Is Marburg virus already in America? CDC issues alert to US doctors telling them to lookout for signs of disease that has a 50% killrate and causes patients to bleed from their EYES​

Doctors in the US should be on the lookout for Ebola-like symptoms amid fears one of the world's deadliest pathogens has reached the US, health officials say

Marburg virus — which kills roughly half of the people it infects — is causing outbreaks in densely populated parts of Africa for the first time.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an urgent alert to healthcare professionals on Thursday, telling them to be ready for the 'potential for imported cases'.

The CDC insisted the risk of a largescale issue in the US is low and stressed that no domestic cases of the disease had been reported.

In its Health Alert Network advisory, the CDC said: 'Currently, the risk of Marburg Virus Disease (MVD) in the United States is low.

'However, clinicians should be aware of the potential for imported cases.'

The agency added: 'It is important to systematically assess patients for the possibility of viral hemorrhagic fevers (including MVD or Ebola) through an... evaluation process, including a detailed travel history.'

The note added that early identification of the disease would ensure patients receive the right treatment quickly.

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