Home

Guinea reports first Marburg virus death

Saliou Samb and Bate FelixAAP
A Marburg virus case emerged in the same area of Guinea where the 2014-2016 Ebola epidemic started.
Camera IconA Marburg virus case emerged in the same area of Guinea where the 2014-2016 Ebola epidemic started. Credit: AP

Health authorities in Guinea have confirmed one death from Marburg virus, a highly infectious hemorrhagic fever similar to Ebola, the World Health Organisation says.

It marks the first time that the deadly disease has been identified in West Africa.

There have been 12 major Marburg outbreaks since 1967, mostly in southern and eastern Africa.

Guinea’s new case was first identified last week, just two months after the country was declared free of Ebola following a brief flare-up earlier this year that killed 12 people.

The WHO said the patient, who has since succumbed to the illness, first sought treatment at a local clinic before his condition rapidly deteriorated.

Analysts at Guinea’s haemorrhagic fever laboratory and the Institute Pasteur in Senegal later confirmed the Marburg diagnosis.

“The potential for the Marburg virus to spread far and wide means we need to stop it in its tracks,” Matshidiso Moeti, WHO’s Regional Director for Africa, said in the statement.

“We are working with the health authorities to implement a swift response that builds on Guinea’s past experience and expertise in managing Ebola, which is transmitted in a similar way,” Moeti said.

Both the Marburg case and this year’s Ebola cases were detected in Guinea’s Gueckedou district, near the borders with Liberia and Ivory Coast.

The first cases of the 2014-2016 Ebola epidemic, the largest in history, also were from the same region in southeastern Guinea’s forest region.

Marburg case fatality rates have varied from 24 per cent to 88 per cent in past outbreaks depending on virus strain and case management, the WHO said, adding that transmission occurs through contact with infected body fluids and tissue.

Symptoms include headache, vomiting blood, muscle pains and bleeding through various orifices.

Get the latest news from thewest.com.au in your inbox.

Sign up for our emails