The World Health Organization (WHO) reported yesterday that a patient in Guinea with a highly infectious Marburg virus disease has passed away. This marks the first case of the Ebola-like virus in West Africa. Samples of the virus were taken from the patient, who was treated in Gueckedou. The disease causes hemorrhagic fever, which lead to the patient’s death. The detection of the Marburg virus comes less than two months after Guinea declared an end to its most recent Ebola outbreak. Further analysis by the Institut Pasteur in Senegal confirmed the sample results, declaring that the patient had died of the Marburg virus.
Health authorities are working to find those who may have had contact with the patient. Authorities are also launching a public education campaign to help curb the spread of infection and prevent more individuals from contracting the deadly virus. Ten WHO experts are currently in Guinea to both probe the case and aid Guinea in its emergency response. The virus is transmitted to humans from fruit bats and can be spread between humans via direct contact with bodily fluids, or surfaces and materials contaminated with these fluids. There are currently no vaccines or antiviral treatments to combat Marburg, however, some symptoms can be eased with medicine that improves patients’ chance for survival.
Read More: Guinea confirms West Africa’s first case of rare, Ebola-like Marburg virus disease
