Marburg Virus โคConfirmed in Ethiopia, Sparking Urgent response
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – Ethiopia has confirmedโ its first outbreak of โMarburgโ virus disease, โคfollowing laboratory tests that identified the cause of a recent cluster of suspected hemorrhagic fever cases. The World โฃHealth โInstitution (WHO) reports the detected strain is consistent withโฃ those seen โขin previous East African outbreaks.
As of today, nine cases have been identified in Ethiopia’s southern region, close toโ the border โฃwith South Sudan.Worryingly, the outbreak includes infections among healthcare workers,โ highlighting the virus’s rapid transmission potential. โคThe WHO and the Africa Centres for Diseaseโ Control and โขPrevention have praised Ethiopian authorities for โtheir swift action โin identifying the virusโฃ and initiating emergency containmentโข protocols.
Marburg virus, a highly perilous relative of Ebola, is believed to originate inโ fruit bats and spreads toโฃ humans through contact with contaminatedโฃ environments – โคoften caves. Person-to-person transmission occurs through direct contactโ with bodily fluids โคor contaminated surfaces.โข
Initial symptoms include high fever,severe โขheadache,and muscle pain. The disease can rapidly progress,โ with many โpatients developing severeโค internal or external bleeding within a week. Currently, thereโ is no approved cure for Marburg, though experimental treatments have been utilized during past outbreaks under emergency authorization. Last year, during Rwanda’s first โoutbreak, antiviral drug โremdesivir (provided by Gilead Sciences) was administered under โcompassionate-use protocols, and similarโ options โmight potentially โbe explored should Ethiopia’s case numbers increase.
Coordinated effortsโค are โขunderway between Ethiopian and South Sudanese authorities to prevent theโ virus from crossing the border. However, both nationsโ face significant hurdles due to already-strained healthcare systems, especially in Southโฃ Sudan, whereโค years of โฃconflict have severely weakened infrastructure.
The WHO has responded by releasing $300,000 โฃfrom its emergency fund, deploying a dedicated response team,โ and โฃproviding โessential medical supplies, including protective equipment โand an isolation tent. Health โofficials stressโ the critical importance of โearly supportive care, โparticularly maintainingโข hydration โthrough intravenous or oral fluids, toโค improve patient survival rates.