A case of the bleeding virus Marburg has been confirmed in Tanzania, a week after authorities denied there was an outbreak.
The deadly illness similar to Ebola is highly infectious, and can kill up to 88% of people without treatment.
Formerly known as Marburg haemorrhagic fever, it can cause uncontrollable bleeding from around the fifth day of symptoms, with patients dying on the eighth or ninth day in fatal cases.
So safe to say, it’s not something you want to be spreading, though it is not unheard of and for the last two years there have been a few dozen cases.
On January 14, The World Health Organisation (WHO) reported a suspected outbreak of Marburg virus had killed eight people in the Kagera region.
But hours later, Tanzanian health officials disputed this, saying tests on samples had returned negative results.
Yesterday, however, Tanzania’s president Samia Suluhu Hassan said further tests had confirmed a case of Marburg, although she said 25 other samples were negative.
It comes a month after neighbouring Rwanda declared its own outbreak of Marburg had been stamped out, and is the second outbreak in Kagera since 2023.
Rwanda reported a total of 15 deaths and 66 cases in the outbreak since September 27, with the majority of those affected health care workers who handled the first patients.
How is Marburg virus disease spread?
It can be spread via infected people via direct contact with bodily fluids or with surfaces and material used by them, such as towels or clothing.
Humans usually get it in the first place from fruit bats, such as if they work in a mine or in a cave the bats live in.
The WHO said anyone working in these sites should wear gloves masks, and during outbreaks all animal products including blood and meat should be thoroughly cooked before consumption.
The last widespread outbreak was in 2005, when 329 died in Angola, with an 88% fatality rate.
Marburg virus was first documented in 1967 in laboratories in Marburg and Frankfurt in Germany, and in Belgrade in modern-day Serbia.
What are the symptoms?
According to the World Health Organisation, the incubation periodvaries from 2 to 21 days.
The illness then begins abruptly, with high fever, severe headache, muscle pain, and exhaustion.
On the third day, watery diarrhoea, abdominal pain and cramping, nausea and vomiting can begin, while some may get a non-itchy rash.
From day five of the disease, patients can begin to haemmorhage, including fresh blood in vomit and faeces, and bleeding from the nose, gums and vagina.
The central nervous system can beaffected, resulting in confusion, irritability and aggression.
Inflammation of one or both testicles has been reported occasionally in the late phase of disease.
In fatal cases, death occurs most often between 8 and 9 days, usually preceded by severe blood loss and shock.
What is the treatment of Marburg virus disease?
There is not yet a cure, although the death rate can be brought down significantly with early treatment and rehydration.
Scientists are working on vaccines and antivirals effective against it, but these are not yet ready to be used.
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