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– Marburg virus disease is a very virulent hemorrhagic fever that is dangerous for humans.
Scene of chaos, Wednesday October 2, at Hamburg station in Germany, when police officers equipped with respiratory masks and intervention forces in full protective suits rushed towards a train, reports the newspaper Bild. A medical student and his girlfriend, who were returning from Rwanda and were on a crowded train from Frankfurt am Main, were indeed suspected of being infected with the Marburg virus.
During the trip, both developed flu-like symptoms. However, the 26-year-old student had had contact in Rwanda with a patient who was later diagnosed with Marburg virus infection by doctors. The man and his partner were transported to the University Hospital of Hamburg-Eppendorf. And finally, more fear than harm, on Thursday, the tests carried out on the two passengers proved negative. This alert in Germany has raised fears of the arrival of the deadly virus, which is currently raging in Africa, on European territory.
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11 dead in Rwanda
Global health authorities are on alert over the spread of the Marburg virus, which has caused 11 dead in Rwanda, an East African country where the epidemic is raging since September 27as reported by CNews. This disease is a very virulent hemorrhagic fever and dangerous for humans. The fatality rates are indeed very high since they varied from 24% to 88% in previous outbreaks, depending on the virus strain and case management, says the World Health Organization (WHO).
Discovered for the first time in the 1960s in Marburg, Germany, this hemorrhagic fever is similar to virus Ebolaspecify our colleagues. The first symptom experienced is often fever, appearing suddenly and intensely. The patient may also suffer from intense headaches, sometimes causing discomfort, but also fatigue, vomiting or even diarrhea.
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The African continent on the front line
Marburg virus is transmitted to humans by fruit bats and is spread between people through direct contact with bodily fluids of infected patientssuch as blood, urine or semen. In addition, people can also be affected by direct contact with infected surfaces or materials. For the moment, this disease is mainly present on the African continent.
On September 30, the World Health Organization (WHO) assessed the risk of this epidemic as being “very high at national level, high at regional level and low globally». And if no vaccine against Marburg virus disease exists, oral or intravenous rehydration treatments, but also the treatment of certain specific symptoms can increase the chances of survival.
