Marburg virus disease outbreak in Rwanda shows signs of containment: minister

Kigali, Nov 15 (IANS) The Marburg virus disease outbreak in Rwanda is showing signs of containment since the first case was reported, said a senior official.

Rwandan Minister of Health Sabin Nsanzimana made the remarks during a virtual weekly media briefing on the multi-country mpox outbreak in Africa and the Marburg virus disease outbreak in Rwanda, alongside officials from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).

Since the outbreak began, Rwanda has confirmed a total of 66 cases and 15 fatalities, Nsanzimana said. The number of recoveries has risen to 51, while testing efforts have been intensified, with over 7,400 tests conducted.

Nsanzimana said that vigilant monitoring of survivors is ongoing, along with close observation of caves where fruit bats, which are linked to the outbreak, reside.

He said that the Marburg virus disease outbreak in Rwanda has been brought under control, with no new cases reported in almost two weeks and no deaths recorded in a month. All patients treated for the virus have been discharged as the treatment center was closed.

Nsanzimana said the case fatality rate had been maintained at 22.7 per cent, which is relatively lower compared to previous outbreaks in the region, Xinhua news agency reported.

At the same media briefing, Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya discussed the ongoing situation with monkeypox and Marburg. He noted that experts from the emergency consultative group concluded that monkeypox is not yet under control and emphasised the need to use data to build momentum for a decentralized testing system in Africa and support local manufacturing.

On November 9, the recommended 42-day countdown to declare the end of the Marburg virus disease outbreak in Rwanda began, following confirmation that the last patient tested negative for the virus by polymerase chain reaction.

Rwanda has reported no new confirmed cases since October 30, and the last Marburg-related death was recorded on October 14, Xinhua news agency reported.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the outbreak will only be declared over if no new infections arise during the 42-day countdown.

The Marburg virus, a highly infectious pathogen with a fatality rate of up to 88 per cent, causes hemorrhagic fever and belongs to the same virus family as Ebola, according to the WHO. Symptoms typically appear within a week of exposure and include high fever, severe headache and general malaise.

–IANS

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