Guinea confirms first case of deadly Marburg virus months after end of Ebola outbreak
A man in Guinea has died from the highly infectious Marburg virus, which has sent more than 100 people into quarantine just months after the end of the country's Ebola outbreak.
The country's first case of the disease was discovered on Friday, according to the World Health Organization. The man first showed symptoms on July 25 and died eight days later. Tests after his death confirmed he was positive for Marburg.
Marburg is a highly contagious disease spread by bodily fluids with a fatality rate of up to 90% and is part of the same virus family as Ebola, according to WHO.
It was first recognized in 1967, and numerous outbreaks across the world have occurred since. The most notable outbreak occurred in Angola from 2004 to 2005, when 90% of the 252 people infected died, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There are no vaccines or antiviral treatments approved to treat the virus.
In Guinea, health officials are trying to determine how many people were in close contact with the infected man. So far, 145 people have been identified and have been told to self-isolate.
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The confirmed case comes months after the end of Guinea's Ebola outbreak in June. The region Gueckedou, where Marburg was confirmed, also was where cases of Ebola were discovered this year.
“We applaud the alertness and the quick investigative action by Guinea’s health workers. 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 a 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.”
How the man contracted the virus is unknown, but scientists from the CDC said in January that the virus was found in Egyptian rousette bats in Sierra Leone, which shares a border with Guinea.
Guinea is also experiencing one of its worst COVID-19 waves. As of Aug. 2, there were 1,159 confirmed cases, the most since the beginning of the pandemic, according to WHO.
Follow Jordan Mendoza on Twitter: @jord_mendoza.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Deadly Marburg virus confirmed in Guinea after Ebola outbreak ends
