Micrograph of the Marburg virus. Credit score: College of Texas Medical Department at Galveston, CC BY-SA 4.0
Ethiopia has confirmed an outbreak of the lethal Marburg virus within the south of the nation, the Africa Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (Africa CDC) mentioned on Saturday.
The Marburg virus is likely one of the deadliest recognized pathogens. Like Ebola, it causes extreme bleeding, fever, vomiting and diarrhea and has a 21-day incubation interval.
Additionally like Ebola, it’s transmitted by way of contact with bodily fluids and has a fatality fee of between 25 and 80%.
The pinnacle of the World Well being Group, Ethiopia’s Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, confirmed on Friday that a minimum of 9 instances had been detected in southern Ethiopia, two days after Africa CDC was alerted to a suspected hemorrhagic virus within the area.
“Marburg virus disease (MVD) has been confirmed by the National Reference Laboratory (in Ethiopia),” Africa CDC mentioned.
“Further epidemiological investigations and laboratory analyses are underway and the virus strain detected shows similarities to those previously identified in East Africa.”
It mentioned Ethiopian well being authorities had acted swiftly to substantiate and comprise the outbreak within the Jinka space.
It mentioned it will work with Ethiopia to make sure an efficient response and to scale back the chance of the virus spreading to different elements of east Africa.
An epidemic of Marburg virus killed 10 folks in Tanzania in January earlier than being terminated in March.
Rwanda mentioned in December 2024 it had managed to stamp out its first recognized Marburg epidemic, which brought about 15 deaths.
There isn’t a authorized vaccine or antiviral remedy for the Marburg virus, however oral or intravenous rehydration and remedy of particular signs will increase sufferers’ probabilities of survival.
Final yr, Rwanda trialed an experimental vaccine from the US-based Sabin Vaccine Institute.
© 2025 AFP
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