Concerted efforts urged to contain Marburg as deaths hit 11 in Rwanda

Deaths from a Marburg virus outbreak in Rwanda have reached 11, Rwandan Health Minister Sabin Nsanzimana said Thursday, as calls for stronger international collaboration mount.

"As of today, we have confirmed 36 cases of the Marburg disease, and unfortunately we have lost 11 people," Nsanzimana said, adding that so far most of the cases have been healthcare workers, accounting for 80 per cent of all reported cases.

Nsanzimana made the remarks while addressing a special online media briefing on the multi-country mpox outbreak in Africa and the Marburg virus disease outbreak in Rwanda together with Director-General of Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) Jean Kaseya.

"This virus is known to be associated with a very high mortality rate. If it's not the first, it may be the second deadly virus known to date in terms of affecting the human body and destroying the immune response, leading to mortality," he told reporters.

Rwanda declared a Marburg outbreak on Sept. 27. The health minister said the country, in collaboration with the Africa CDC and other relevant partners, is working hard to contain the spread of the deadly virus through enhanced preventive measures across all health facilities.

Contact tracing is underway, and cases have been isolated for treatment, he added.

Noting that this is the first time in Rwanda's history that the Marburg virus has been detected while the country is also responding to the ongoing continental outbreak of mpox, Nsanzimana underscored the need to strengthen national and continental preparedness to effectively address current and future health threats.

The minister also highlighted Rwanda's strong efforts to contain the spread of the virus before it sweeps other parts of the country, the region and beyond.

For his part, Kaseya emphasized the need for more concerted efforts to contain the virus and praised Rwanda's efforts.

Earlier this week, the Africa CDC dispatched a team of experts to assist Rwanda. It is also collaborating with Rwanda's neighbouring countries Burundi, Uganda, Tanzania, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to prevent cross-border contamination and to provide guidance on regional surveillance.

The disease is a severe and often fatal zoonotic hemorrhagic illness caused by the Marburg virus usually transmitted from fruit bats to humans. Human-to-human transmission occurs through direct contact with an infected person's body fluids, or with equipment and materials contaminated with infectious blood or tissues.

There is currently no vaccine or specific treatment for the disease, while supportive therapy should be initiated immediately for people presenting with the disease. The same infection prevention and control protocols used for other viral hemorrhagic fevers, such as Ebola, should be followed to prevent transmission.