Guinean authorities confirmed in early August the first death in West Africa from the Marburg virus. The disease has no vaccine or treatment and is manifested by acute fever accompanied by internal and external hemorrhages that lead to death, on average, in 50% of cases, according to the WHO.
The virus is spread among humans through direct contact with body fluids of infected people, surfaces and materials. Symptoms include headaches, muscle aches, vomiting and bleeding.
“The potential of the Marburg virus is to spread in all directions, which means we have to stop its path,” said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, regional director of WHO for Africa. Indeed, the recent emergence of the virus in West Africa is expanding knowledge about the incidence of the disease spreading to a new geographical area.
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The Egyptian Rousette bat has been confirmed as a host species of the Marburg virus. This bat lives in caves and is widespread throughout Africa, including West Africa. When these bats are infected, they show no signs of disease, but can be transmitted to humans and other animals.
Environmental and man-made changes act as a significant factor in the occurrence of the disease. These include land use changes, forest fires, extreme weather events or wars.
Therefore, it is possible that even more viral diversity transmitted by bats will spread in the future. This also applies to the Marburg virus. And more and more frequent contacts between bats and humans will certainly lead to an increase in human infections.
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