Nine people have died in a new epidemic of a “eye-bleeding” Ebola-like virus, prompting global health chiefs to issue an alarm.
Since Tanzania’s official announcement of the epidemic last week, ten people have been sick with Marburg, one of the worst diseases ever found.
Africa’s health agency has reported that nine people have died from these illnesses, which is in line with the virus’s 90% fatality rate.
The Tanzanian region of Kagera was where the incidents were reported.
There are around three million people living in the region, which is in the northwest of the nation.
However, specialists are concerned that the disease may spread further because the nation’s principal international airport, located in the capital, Dar es Salaam, is easily accessible by train, according to The Sun.
During an online briefing, Ngashi Ngongo, who works for the Africa Center for Disease Control Center (CDC), stated that they are working with the World Health Organization (WHO) to reduce the outbreak’s death toll.
About 281 contacts of the 10 patients have been identified by authorities and are being intensively watched for infections.
“There have been a total of 31 tests that have been conducted, two confirmed, and 29 I think, that are negative,” Ngongo stated.
When organs and blood arteries are harmed, Marburg, a hemorrhagic fever, results in internal bleeding as well as bleeding from the lips, ears, and eyes.
Touching or handling an infected person’s bodily fluids, contaminated objects, or infected wild animals can all spread the virus.
According to the WHO, it can kill almost 90% of those it infects, with a case-fatality ratio (CFR) of up to 88%.
The Tanzanian epidemic occurs less than a month after the official end of a Marburg outbreak in neighboring Rwanda.
Approximately 80% of the 66 afflicted individuals were healthcare professionals.
The country reported 15 deaths, and Rwanda’s response received international recognition for having the lowest death rate ever recorded for an African Marburg outbreak—23%.