Rwandan health authorities have begun a vaccine study against Marburg.
A U.S. non-profit, Sabin Vaccine Institute says it has “entered into a clinical trial agreement with the Rwanda Biomedical Centre.
Marburg is a rare, severe viral hemorrhagic fever which affects both people and other primates, like apes and monkeys. It is caused by infection with orthomarburgviruses, Marburg virus, or Ravn virus. The disease can lead to serious illness or death. Symptoms can appear suddenly and may include fever, rash, and severe bleeding.
Orthomarburgviruses are naturally found in the Egyptian rousette bat (Rousettus aegyptiacus) and can spread from bats to people. Marburg virus is most commonly found in sub-Saharan Africa.
Rwanda declared an outbreak of Marburg on Sept. 27. And the Rwandan health minister detailed yesterday Sunday (Oct. 06) how the trial will be conducted.
“The vaccination is starting, focusing on the most at risk, most exposed. We have health workers working in treatment centers, in hospitals, ICU (intensive care unit), emergency, but also the close contacts of the confirmed cases,” Sabin Nsanzimana said.
Per the approved protocol, approximately 700 high-risk adults will be dosed at 6 clinical trial sites. There is no authorized vaccine or treatment for Marburg as yet.
The virus is believed to originate in fruit bats and spreads between people through close contact with the bodily fluids of infected individuals or with surfaces.
Amongst Rwandans who have expressed deep a deep concern about the hike in deaths owing to the Marburg virus, a worried taxi operator said “We are always very close to our clients while working. We managed to avoid COVID-19 with some measures, such as removing the glasses off the helmets to let our clients breathe out. I am so worried we might be the first ones to be stopped from working”
Since September 27 this year, the death toll from Marburg has climbed to 12 and is speculated to keep rising unless the appropriate measures are taken to curb this disease.
Symptoms of the Marburg symptoms include:
Fever, Chills, Headache, Muscle aches, Rash with both flat and raised bumps, often on the torso, Chest pain, Sore throat, Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea
And as the disease advances, symptoms can become more severe, including liver failure, delirium, shock, bleeding (hemorrhaging), and multi-organ dysfunction.
People with Marburg usually start getting sick 2-21 days after they are infected with the virus.
The Marburg virus is spread from infected Egyptian rousette bats to people. The virus is found in the saliva, urine, and feces of infected bats. Once the disease has “spilled over” from wildlife to people, those who are sick can spread the disease to other people.
Someone can become infected with the Marburg virus if they have contact (such as through broken skin or mucous membranes in the eyes, nose, or mouth) with:
- Body fluids of a person who is sick with or died from Marburg
- Objects contaminated with their fluids like clothes, bedding, needles, and equipment
- Semen from a man who has recovered from infection with Marburg
To prevent Marburg
- Avoid contact with blood and body fluids of people who are sick.
- Avoid contact with semen from a person who recovered from Marburg until testing shows that the virus is gone from their semen.
- Do not handle items that may have come in contact with an infected person’s body fluids.
- Avoid contact with Egyptian rousette bats and non-human primates if in areas where Marburg is found.
Currently, there are no licensed treatments for Marburg. Treatment is limited to supportive care. This includes rest, hydration, managing oxygen status and blood pressure, and treatment of secondary infections.
Marburg virus causes a serious, deadly disease. Between 20-90 percent of people with the disease will die.
Additional Sources: Biomed Central, CDC
