An X-ray technician at Kampala Hospital in Uganda died on September 28 from the Marburg virus, a close neighbor of the Ebola virus.
The man had felt the first symptoms on September 17, but was not hospitalized until the 23rd. It was only on September 30, two days after his death, that tests confirmed that he was was a hemorrhagic fever of the Marburg virus.
Close toEbola,the Marburg virus causes the same types of symptoms: fever, vomiting, diarrhea and severe bleeding. This virus was first observed in 1967, 9 years before the discovery of Ebola. It is fatal in 25 to 88% of cases, and according to the WHO, it currently has no vaccine nor treatment. Only intensive care would prevent the deterioration of the patient’s condition.
The Egyptian fruit bat, an African bat, is believed to be the animal reservoir of the virus, which is then transmitted to monkeys and humans. The first known outbreaks appeared in East Africa, before two major epidemics in the Congo (128 deaths) in 2000 and in Angola in 2005 (329 deaths).
Precautions immediately put in place
To avoid the spread of the virus, the patient’s brother, presenting similar symptoms, was quickly isolated and taken into care by a medical team.
80 people who came into contact with the victim were also isolated preventively, according to the Ugandan Ministry of Health.
In addition, a team of epidemiologists was sent to the places frequented by the victim, to ensure that the virus does not infect anyone through this.
The authorities have called on the Ugandan people to report any suspicious cases.
“Stay calm but vigilant,” said the Ugandan president on his twitter account, “avoid tightening hands, and cooperate with healthcare workers. “
In October 2012, Uganda had already been the target of the Marburg virus, killing ten out of twenty confirmed cases.
To reassure his fellow citizens, the Ugandan Prime Minister, a doctor by training, also declared on Twitter that “Uganda has the experience and the sufficient means to face the health threat” and that it has “through the past successfully handled similar situations […] involving hemorrhagic fevers. “
As with Ebola, human-to-human transmission takes place through bodily fluids (blood, saliva, semen, vomit, sweat, urine, stools, etc.) of patients, knowing that the sperm can remain contaminating for up to several weeks after recovery. .
