Uganda’s Ministry of Health disclosed that a total of 99 people who had been in contact with the victim had been moved to quarantine. These contacts are being monitored for signs and symptoms of the disease after tests confirmed that the 30-year-old man who worked as a radiographer in a Kampala hospital died of the disease. The man was said to have had a headache, abdominal pains, diarrhoea and vomited blood before he died.
Marburg virus was first identified in 1967, after simultaneous outbreaks in Marburg (from which the disease takes its name) and Frankfurt both in Germany, Belgrade, Serbia and Yugoslavia. It was later traced back to monkeys imported from Uganda for laboratory work. Since then, the virus has appeared sporadically, with just a dozen outbreaks on record. The most recent outbreak, also in Uganda, in 2012, killed four out of 15 patients, according to the United States of America’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Marburg virus is similar to the Ebola virus in many ways than one. They both cause illnesses marked by severe bleeding (haemorrhage), organ failure and, in many cases, death. The reservoir host of Marburg virus is the African fruit bat which, when infected with the virus, do not to show obvious signs of illness.
According to the World Health Organisation, case fatality rates in Marburg Haemorrhagic Fever outbreaks have ranged from 24 per cent to 88 per cent. The incubation period (period from infection to beginning of symptoms appearing) varies from two to 21 days.
The World Health Organisation states that symptoms of Marburg haemorrhagic fever begin abruptly with high fever, severe headache, muscle aches and pains as well as severe general feeling of unwellness. Severe watery diarrhoea, abdominal pain and cramping, nausea and vomiting usually begin on the third day. The diarrhoea can persist for a week. The looks of patients at this phase also change drastically as it has been reported that they show “ghost-like” drawn features, deep-set eyes, expressionless faces, and extreme lethargy. Sometimes, a non-itchy rash may be noted in patients between two and seven days after onset of symptoms.
Death occurs most often between eight and nine days after the onset of these symptoms and is usually preceded by severe blood loss and shock. Unfortunately, it neither has any vaccine or specific treatment at the moment.
The World Health Organisation states that symptoms of Marburg haemorrhagic fever begin abruptly with high fever, severe headache, muscle aches and pains as well as severe general feeling of unwellness. Severe watery diarrhoea, abdominal pain and cramping, nausea and vomiting usually begin on the third day. The diarrhoea can persist for a week. The looks of patients at this phase also change drastically as it has been reported that they show “ghost-like” drawn features, deep-set eyes, expressionless faces, and extreme lethargy. Sometimes, a non-itchy rash may be noted in patients between two and seven days after onset of symptoms.
Death occurs most often between eight and nine days after the onset of these symptoms and is usually preceded by severe blood loss and shock. Unfortunately, it neither has any vaccine or specific treatment at the moment.
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