Ethiopia Confirms Marburg Virus Outbreak
Ethiopian authorities have confirmed an outbreak of the Marburg virus in the southern part of the country, as reported by the Africa Centres for Disease Control adn Prevention (Africa CDC) this Saturday. The virus, which causes a severe hemorrhagic fever, is spread by certain bat species and is related to Ebola, wiht a potential mortality rate reaching 90%.
As of Friday, at least nine cases of Marburg virus infection have been identified in southern Ethiopia, according to World Health Association (WHO) Director-General Tedros adhanom Ghebreyesus.The WHO is actively supporting Ethiopia’s containment and treatment efforts, and working to prevent cross-border transmission, he stated via X (formerly Twitter).
The initial alert regarding a “suspicion of viral hemorrhagic fever” was issued to the Africa CDC on November 12th, and confirmed on Friday by Ethiopia’s Federal Ministry of Health and Ethiopian Institute of Public Health as an outbreak of marburg virus disease in Jinka, in the Southern region.
Ethiopian health officials note the virus strain is similar to those responsible for recent outbreaks in other East African nations. Coordinated screening and preventative actions are underway in collaboration with other health organizations.
Neighboring tanzania declared an end to its Marburg outbreak in mid-March, following 10 deaths since January. Rwanda also announced the conclusion of its first-ever Marburg epidemic at the end of December 2023, which resulted in 15 fatalities.
Currently, there are no approved vaccines or antiviral treatments for Marburg virus. however, supportive care, including oral or intravenous rehydration, and management of specific symptoms can improve survival rates. Rwanda tested an experimental vaccine provided by the Sabin Vaccine Institute in the United States last year.
