Context:- Tanzania announces outbreak of deadly Marburg virus disease Tanzania recently declared an outbreak of the highly contagious and deadly virus Marburg virus, which causes viral hemorrhagic fever.
An overview of the news
- According to the World Health Organization (WHO), through contact tracing in the country, around 161 people have been identified as at risk of infection.
- The government has deployed an emergency response team to the area as well as neighboring countries have increased surveillance.
What is Marburg Virus Disease?
- According to the World Health Organization, Marburg is a highly contagious viral disease that leads to hemorrhagic fever, with a mortality rate of up to 88%.
- Marburg is as deadly as Ebola and no suitable drug or vaccine has yet been discovered to treat and prevent the disease.
- Outbreaks of this disease have been reported in many African countries in the past, including Kenya, Congo, Angola, South Africa, and Uganda.
- These outbreaks have also resulted in a large number of deaths, most of which have occurred in southern and eastern Africa.
Symptoms of Disease
- High fever, severe headache, muscle pain, abdominal pain, and cramping.
- Nausea and vomiting may also begin on the third day after infection.
Transmission
- Human infection initially results from prolonged exposure to mines or caves inhabited by Rousettus bat colonies.
- Once a human has been infected with Marburg virus, it can be spread to others through direct contact with their blood, secretions or other bodily fluids.
- Another route of transmission may be through sexual contact.
- This virus will secrete in our body fluids such as saliva, sweat, nasal secretions and semen.
Diagnosis and Treatment
- Antibody enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA),
- Antigen detection tests,
- Serum neutralization tests,
- Reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay,
- Virus isolation by cell culture.
- There is no specific treatment for Marburg virus disease yet.
