August 13, 2021 – A virus known as Ebola’s deadly cousin was first spotted in West Africa.
The Marburg virus, which causes a serious disease that belongs to the same virus family that causes Ebola, has been identified in southwest Guinea near the border with Sierra Leone and Liberia, according to the World Health Organization.
There was one known death and 155 people are in mandatory quarantine, the Washington Post reported.
The Marburg virus was found in the same region of Guinea that saw a massive Ebola outbreak with over 11,300 deaths between 2014 and 2016.
According to a WHO statement, the region also faced a deadly Ebola outbreak that year, which ended in June.
It can be difficult to distinguish Marburg from other tropical diseases like malaria as the symptoms are said to be similar.
Symptoms can start with a fever and headache and quickly lead to vomiting, diarrhea, and uncontrolled bleeding, according to the CDC. Find out more about the Marburg virus here.
People can become infected with the virus through contact with fruit bats, according to the CDC. Once the infection starts, it can spread between people through body fluids, blood, and body tissues.
Death rates range between 24% and 88%, depending on the type of care an infected person receives, says the WHO.
The organization says a man had symptoms in late July and was receiving treatment. He tested negative for malaria.
He died on August 2nd and the WHO and the authorities are investigating. The test results of a mouth swab were positive for Marburg and negative for Ebola. Test results have been confirmed several times.
The Department of Health, CDC, WHO and others are working to prevent the virus from spreading further through efforts such as contact tracing and case monitoring in health facilities and communities.
Other disease outbreaks have caused problems in Guinea due to the country’s shaky health system.
However, the WHO said that experience dealing with other mass outbreaks, including COVID-19, has helped in the quick response to control the spread of the Marburg virus.
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