Marburg Virus: All You Need To Know
According to the WHO, this is the first time that Marburg, a highly infectious virus with upto 88% fatality rate, has been identified in a West African country.
New Delhi: While the world is recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, health authorities, on 9th August 2021, have confirmed a case of Marburg virus in Southern Gueckedou, Guinea. According to the World Health Organisation, this is the first time that Marburg, a highly infectious virus with up to 88% fatality rate, has been identified in a West African country. It is rather alarming...
New Delhi: While the world is recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, health authorities, on 9th August 2021, have confirmed a case of Marburg virus in Southern Gueckedou, Guinea. According to the World Health Organisation, this is the first time that Marburg, a highly infectious virus with up to 88% fatality rate, has been identified in a West African country.
It is rather alarming to note that Marburg, which is in the same family as the virus that causes Ebola, was detected less than two months after Guinea declared an end to an Ebola outbreak that erupted earlier this year.
Samples taken from a now-deceased patient and tested by a field laboratory in Gueckedou as well as Guinea's national haemorrhagic fever laboratory turned out positive for the Marburg virus. Further analysis by the Institut Pasteur in Senegal confirmed the result. Health Authorities are now monitoring the 155 people who had had contact with the infected person.
The potential transmission of virus between bat colonies and humans poses an increased risk at the national level. However, the risk at the global level is low, as of now.
Human infection with Marburg virus disease initially results from prolonged exposure to mines or caves inhabited by Rousettus bat colonies. Once an individual is infected with the virus, Marburg can spread through human-to-human transmission via direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected people, and with surfaces and materials (e.g. bedding, clothing) contaminated with these fluids. The incubation period for the disease is 2-21 days.
SYMPTOMS:
DIAGNOSIS:
Confirmation that symptoms are caused by Marburg virus infection are made using the following diagnostic methods:
- antibody enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA);
- antigen detection tests;
- serum neutralization tests;
- reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay; and
- virus isolation by cell culture.
Samples collected from patients are an extreme biohazard risk and laboratory testing on non-inactivated samples need to be conducted under maximum biological containment conditions. All biological specimens must be packaged using the triple packaging system when transported nationally and internationally.
TREATMENT:
It is alarming to note that as of now, there is no vaccine available for the Marburg virus. Treatment is supportive in nature - rehydration with oral or intravenous fluids. Treatment of specific symptoms improves survival and treatment of specific symptoms improves survival.
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