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Rwanda has confirmed that at least eight people have died from the highly contagious Marburg virus, just days after the country declared an outbreak of the deadly hemorrhagic fever.
The virus, similar to Ebola, has no authorised vaccine or treatment.
The Marburg virus, which originated from fruit bats, spreads through close contact with bodily fluids of infected individuals or contaminated surfaces, such as bedsheets.
Rwanda’s Health Minister, Sabin Nsanzimana, announced late on Sunday that 26 cases have been confirmed, with eight fatalities reported.
The Rwandan government declared the outbreak on Friday, as reported by Al Jazeera.
The public has been urged to avoid physical contact to help contain the spread. Authorities have identified around 300 people who were in contact with confirmed cases, with an unspecified number placed in isolation.
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Most of those affected are healthcare workers across six of the country’s 30 districts.
Nsanzimana stated that efforts are underway to intensify contact tracing and testing to control the outbreak.
“Marburg is a rare disease,” Nsanzimana noted, adding that the source of the outbreak has not yet been determined. Infected individuals can take between three days and three weeks to show symptoms, which include fever, muscle pains, diarrhoea, vomiting, and, in severe cases, death through extreme blood loss.
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