The Marburg virus disease outbreak – The Sun Nigeria

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has sent health emergency experts in epidemiology, case management, infection prevention, and laboratory and risk communication to assist the health authorities in Equatorial Guinea to contain the first-ever outbreak of Marburg virus disease (MVD) in the country. The United Nations (UN) agency is equally facilitating the shipment of laboratory glove tents for sample testing and one viral haemorrhagic fever kit that includes personal protective equipment for use by 500 health workers. 

The global health agency has also convened an urgent meeting of the Marburg Virus Vaccine Consortium (MARVAC) to discuss the outbreak. MARVAC includes leaders in the field of vaccine research and development, working together to develop vaccines against the disease.

Already, advance teams have been deployed in the affected districts to trace contacts, isolate and provide medical care to people showing symptoms of the disease. The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare with the support of partners, has deployed rapid response teams to support further investigations. 

Similarly, the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has deployed a team of experts in Equatorial Guinea to support response efforts in the country. It has also engaged the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in Equatorial Guinea and neighbouring countries, Gabon and Cameroon, to support the cross-border context of the outbreak and guide regional surveillance strategies in containing the outbreak.

The outbreak of the Marburg virus disease in the Central African country was confirmed by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare of Equatorial Guinea on February 13 following the deaths of nine people in Kie Ntem Province, in Western Equatorial Guinea. According to reports, the deaths occurred between January 7 and February 7 this year. So far, one confirmed case, nine deaths and 16 suspected cases have been reported from two communities in the province.

The WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, who acknowledged that Marburg is highly infectious, commended the Equatorial Guinean authorities for taking rapid and decisive action in confirming the disease. Though the source of this first-ever MVD outbreak in Equatorial Guinea is not yet clear, genome sequencing results are still pending. The results of the laboratory testing carried out at the Institut Pasteur reference laboratory in Senegal revealed that out of the eight samples, one was positive for MVD. The initial confirmed case and other suspected cases presented with fever, fatigue, blood-stained vomit and diarrhoea.

According to medical experts, Marburg virus is a haemorrhagic fever virus from the same family as the virus that causes Ebola. The virus can be transmitted by exposure to mines or caves inhabited by Rousettus bat colonies, or fruit bats which carry the pathogen. And once a person is infected, Marburg can spread through human-to-human transmission via direct contact with blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of these individuals and with surfaces and materials contaminated with these fluids. The illness is characterised by high fever, severe headache and severe malaise. Many patients develop severe haemorrhagic symptoms within seven days. WHO says that on average, the virus kills half of those infected, but the most harmful strains have killed up to 88 per cent, making it one of the deadliest pathogens in the world. Equatorial Guinea is the third sub-Saharan African country to report a Marburg case in three years, with the virus detected in Guinea in 2021 and Ghana in 2022.

Marburg was first described in 1967, after being discovered that year during a set of outbreaks in the German cities of Marburg and Frankfurt and the Serbian capital Belgrade. Since then, outbreaks of the disease have been reported in Kenya, South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

While Nigeria has not recorded any outbreak of the disease, there is need to guard against the disease spreading to Nigeria. We say this because Equatorial Guinea is not too far away from Nigeria. Moreover, the world has become a global village. And with air travel, disease can quickly spread from one part of the world to another. Therefore, our health authorities must be vigilant and ready to test all people coming to Nigeria from the affected country. Nigeria and other West African countries should be on red alert concerning the Marburg virus disease outbreak in Equatorial Guinea.