Enlarge / A World Health Organisation (WHO) alert team takes out a body in Nganakamana village near Uige on April 26, 2005. In outbreaks of viral haemorrhagic fevers, including Marburg, unprotected exposure to dead bodies is a significant cause of further spread. (credit: Getty | Christopher Black)
Health officials are racing to stamp out a rare and concerning outbreak of the deadly Marburg virus in Equatorial Guinea, the World Health Organization said Wednesday.
The outbreak, first confirmed Monday, is the country's first ever from Marburg. The virus is a relative of Ebola and has similar transmission (via direct contact and bodily fluids), hemorrhagic disease symptoms, and alarmingly high fatality rates.
So far, there have been nine deaths linked to the outbreak, which stretches back to January. One of the deaths has been confirmed as being from Marburg virus disease, while eight others are considered suspected. They appear to be in the same transmission chain, but officials were unable to obtain samples to confirm the infections.
Read 6 remaining paragraphs | Comments