Marburg Disease

Ghana has reported its first-ever suspected cases of Marburg virus disease.

About Marburg Disease

It’s a highly infectious viral hemorrhagic fever with a fatality ratio of up to 88 percent and belongs to the same family as Ebola.
The disease was first identified in the year 1967 in Germany’s Marburg, Frankfurt, and Serbia’s Belgrade following two large outbreaks.
Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, South Africa, and Uganda had reported cases earlier in sporadic outbreaks.

Key carriers: Fruit bats of the Pteropodid Family are the main carriers of the disease.

The home range of the fruit bats includes India, parts of Africa and the Middle East, South-East Asian countries, and some parts of Australia.
It typically infects humans following long exposure to mines or caves inhabited by Rousettus bat colonies.

Transmission

Human-to-human transmission takes place through direct contact with the blood, secretions, organs, or other bodily fluids of infected people.
Surfaces and materials contaminated with these fluids are other vital sources. Its incubation period ranges from two days to three weeks.

Treatment

Blood products, immune therapies, and drug therapies are among the treatments being evaluated for this disease.
Remdesivir and Favipiravir, monoclonal antibody treatments developed for the Ebola virus, are also being considered for compassionate use or expanded access.
There are no specific vaccines or antiviral treatments to treat the disease. While the Ebola vaccine may potentially protect against a Marburg virus infection, clinical studies are yet to confirm this.

Source: WHO

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