Tanzania reported its first outbreak of the lethal Marburg virus after eight folks developed signs together with fever, vomiting, bleeding and kidney failure.
Testing by the east African nation confirmed the presence of the extremely virulent illness that causes hemorrhagic fever, the World Well being Group mentioned in an announcement late Tuesday. 5 of the eight circumstances in Tanzania’s northwest Kagera area have died and one other 161 contacts have been recognized and are being monitored, the WHO mentioned.
Tanzania is the second African nation this yr to report its first Marburg outbreak after Equatorial Guinea in February detected the sickness. Eleven deaths there are suspected to have been brought on by the virus, which belongs to the identical household because the one which causes Ebola. In July of final yr, Ghana introduced its first outbreak.
Learn Extra: What Is Marburg Virus?
A WHO danger evaluation in September confirmed that Tanzania is at excessive to very excessive danger for infectious illness outbreaks as its borders span a number of nations, together with the African Nice Lakes area.
Nonetheless, Tanzania has just lately had to reply to different well being emergencies together with cholera and dengue and the programs put in place to deal with these will assist, mentioned Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO’s regional director for Africa.
Marburg has a fatality charge as excessive as 88%. Whereas there are not any vaccines or antiviral therapies authorized to deal with the virus, survival improves with supportive care comparable to rehydration with oral or intravenous fluids and remedy of particular signs.
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