The spread of the Marburg virus has caused concern around the world because it causes the highly contagious hemorrhagic fever, according to the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and is a member of the Ebola family. The virus, and both are capable of causing a high death rate among victims, according to a report published by the Washington Post.

According to the World Health Organization, the mortality rate for people infected with the Marburg virus ranges from 24 to 88%, depending on previous outbreaks.

Marburg virus first spread to humans from bats in Africa, where miners and cave workers contracted it.

Direct human-to-human communication

Although the virus is not airborne, it can spread rapidly between people through direct contact, especially through contact with fluids such as blood, saliva or urine, and even the bodies of victims can be infectious during burial.

Scientists first identified the virus in 1967 when research on animals imported from Uganda spread among laboratory workers in Marburg and Frankfurt and Belgrade, Germany.

Symptoms of infection.. and incubation period of the disease

According to the World Health Organization, the incubation period for viral infection is estimated to be between three and nine days, and its symptoms begin with severe headache, severe malaise and muscle pain, which include:

high fever
They are gradual and fast.
Severe diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting lasting up to a week.
The injured person’s features become “ghostly” with sunken eyes and an expressionless face.
Rash.
Hemorrhagic symptoms include blood in vomit and stool and bleeding from the nose, gums and genitals.
Persistent infection causes injury to the nervous system.
In fatal cases, death occurs on the eighth or ninth day.

Marburg virus exposure iStock

Marburg Antivirus

The Mayo Clinic website states that “hemorrhagic fever” associated with viruses such as Marburg or Ebola may be more difficult to prevent.

When handling any bodily fluid, you should use protective measures such as gloves and eye and face protection.

You should avoid insects, especially mosquitoes and ticks, and you should wear long pants and long sleeves, and use mosquito repellent.

Keep rodents out of your home by placing trash in rodent-proof containers, removing waste regularly, and making sure doors and windows have insect screens.

treatment

No vaccine or drug is yet approved to treat Marburg virus, and infected people receive supportive care and treatments for complications and dehydration that improve survival rates, according to the World Health Organization.

Some public health experts recommend using drugs used to treat Ebola, but no clinical trials have yet proven this.

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