The outbreak of Marburg virus in Equatorial Guinea has resulted in 8 fatalities. Dr. Nguyen Trung Cap, Deputy Director of the Central Tropical Diseases Hospital, advises the public not to panic as the transmission risk of this disease is relatively low.
Characteristics of the Marburg virus include a high mortality rate upon infection.
The Marburg virus spreads through direct contact, exposure to contaminated surfaces, bodily fluids such as blood, or close contact with infected patients… Therefore, avoiding contact with infected individuals and cleaning contaminated surfaces is crucial, along with wearing masks for protection…
“The public should also regularly monitor and update health department recommendations to proactively prevent this disease,” Dr. Cap advised.
According to epidemiologists, this disease has been recorded in animals for a long time and is not new. The first recorded instance of this virus infecting humans was in a laboratory in Marburg, Germany. However, the disease was quickly contained. Subsequently, there have been a few sporadic outbreaks in Africa, confirmed to be transmitted from animals to humans.
The Marburg virus has a notably high mortality rate, reaching up to 70-80%. This makes it extremely dangerous for those infected, but for the community, the disease caused by the Marburg virus is unlikely to spread widely like diseases with mild or asymptomatic symptoms.
“When infected with the Marburg virus, patients typically experience severe symptoms and remain bedridden, making it harder for transmission, especially on a regional or national scale. Overall, the transmission rate of the Marburg virus is lower compared to diseases with a longer incubation period or those that are asymptomatic,” Dr. Cap explained.
According to infectious disease experts, the symptoms caused by the Marburg virus initially resemble those of common viral fever, including: high fever, fatigue, headache, muscle and joint pain, nausea… As the illness progresses, patients may experience coagulopathy, multiple organ failure, and can die relatively quickly within 7 days, similar to Ebola virus.
Individuals infected with the Marburg virus usually exhibit symptoms and are isolated according to regulations. Therefore, the risk of transmission to Vietnamese individuals from infected patients is low.
Currently, there is no preventive vaccine or specific treatment for this disease; treatment is primarily symptomatic. The World Health Organization hopes to soon conduct trials for a Marburg vaccine in Equatorial Guinea and has convened an emergency meeting to assess potential vaccine candidates that could be used during the Marburg virus outbreak in Equatorial Guinea.
