9 dead, 16 tested positive for Marburg virus; Know all about Ebola-like virus outbreak in Equatorial Guinea

The Marburg virus found in Equatorial Guinea is a highly infectious and potentially deadly virus that belongs to the same family as the Ebola virus.

Washington, Feb 14: At least nine people have died in Equatorial Guinea from the Marburg disease which causes hemorrhagic fever and is similar to the Ebola-related virus, World Health Organization (WHO) has said.

In a press statement, WHO confirmed the first-ever outbreak of Marburg disease in Equatorial Guinea saying samples from nine people turned out positive for the Ebola-related virus Marburg virus. Around sixteen suspected cases with symptoms, including fatigue, fever and blood-stained vomit and diarrhoea have also been reported, the statement added.

The statement further said that advance teams have also been deployed in the affected districts to trace contacts, isolate and provide medical care to those showing symptoms of the disease.

WHO urgent Marburg meeting

The WHO R&D Blueprint has called an urgent meeting on February 14 with MARVAC partners to discuss vaccine and therapeutic candidates to outline proposed research priorities towards the newly identified Marburg outbreak in Equatorial Guinea, a statement on the WHO's website said.

Health minister of Equatorial Guinea Mitoha Ondo'o Ayekaba said that the country had 'declared February 14 the health alert for a Marburg hemorrhagic fever in the province of Kie-Ntem and the (neighbouring) district of Mongomo", according to a report on website Africanews.

What is the Marburg virus?

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website, Marburg virus disease (MVD) is a rare but severe hemorrhagic fever which affects both people and non-human primates. It is caused by the Marburg virus, a genetically unique zoonotic (or, animal-borne) RNA virus of the filovirus family. The six species of Ebola virus are the only other known members of the filovirus family.

MVD has a fatality ratio of up to 88 per cent. It was only after two large outbreaks that occurred simultaneously in Marburg and Frankfurt in Germany, and in Belgrade, Serbia, in 1967, led to the initial recognition of the disease. According to WHO, the outbreak was associated with laboratory work using African green monkeys (Cercopithecus aethiops) imported from Uganda. Subsequently, outbreaks and sporadic cases have been reported in Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, South Africa (in a person with recent travel history to Zimbabwe) and Uganda. In 2008, two independent cases were reported in travellers who visited a cave inhabited by Rousettus bat colonies in Uganda.

Humans infected with the Marburg virus

Human infection with Marburg virus disease initially results from prolonged exposure to mines or caves inhabited by Rousettus bat colonies. Once an individual is infected with the virus, Marburg can spread through human-to-human transmission via direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected people, and with surfaces and materials (e.g. bedding, clothing) contaminated with these fluids.

The virus can also spread through semen from a man who recovered from MVD (through oral, vaginal, or anal sex). However, data on Marburg virus is limited, but it is known to persist in the testicles and inside of the eye, similar to ebolaviruses.

Any vaccine/treatment for Marburg disease?

There are no vaccines or antiviral treatments approved to treat the virus. CDC says supportive hospital therapy should be utilized, which includes balancing the patient's fluids and electrolytes, maintaining oxygen status and blood pressure, replacing lost blood and clotting factors, and treatment for any complicating infections.

A range of potential treatments, including blood products, immune therapies and drug therapies, as well as candidate vaccines with phase 1 data are being evaluated, said the health agency.