The World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland, declared an emergency meeting after the Marburg viral infection, or MVD, was proven to have made its first breakout in Equatorial Guinea.
So far, nine fatalities and 16 suspected cases have been confirmed. The dangerous Ebola-related illness presents symptoms comparable to hemorrhagic fever and has a death rate of up to 88 percent.
What Is Marburg Virus?
The term “viral hemorrhagic fever” refers to a condition that inhibits the body’s capacity to operate normally and damages many organ systems, including the cardiovascular system as a whole. These disorders can cause a variety of symptoms, but one of the most common is bleeding or hemorrhage.
So far, we know that the epidemic is in the Kié-Ntem region of Equatorial Guinea’s northwestern borderlands with Cameroon and Gabon. According to John Edmunds, an epidemiologist at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine who attended the discussion, the number of cases thus far is larger than in the majority of the previous 16 Marburg outbreaks. What are the symptoms of Marburg?
The incubation period (the time between infection and the start of symptoms) ranges from two to three weeks.
The first signs include a high fever, severe headache, and exhaustion. Muscle aches, diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, and vomiting are all prevalent.
Patients at this stage are described by the World Health Organization (WHO) as “ghost-like,” with a drawn face, deep-set eyes, and profound lethargy.
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How Marburg Spreads?
- Human illnesses often begin in settings where people have had contact with sick fruit bats colonies, such as mines or caves.
- Direct touch or droplets of blood, sweat, saliva and other secretions promote human-to-human transfer.
- Contaminated clothing and bedding, as well as burial procedures that entail close touch with the body, pose a risk.
- In treating Marburg patients, healthcare professionals have frequently become infected.
Is There Available Vaccine?
During the discussion, the practicality of testing Marburg vaccines at various stages of development was also discussed. However, it was said that the chances of a successful trial are minimal because other preventative measures, such as quarantine, may halt the outbreak before even a single dose of the vaccine could be administered.
Another possible vaccine uses a modified chimp adenovirus to encourage cells to manufacture a Marburg virus protein. This was proposed by the Sabin Vaccine Institute in Washington, DC.
Even better, another Janssen candidate developed in Beerse, Belgium, employs the human adenovirus upon which the company’s blockbuster COVID-19 vaccine was built (Janssen is a subsidiary of Johnson and Johnson).
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