A vaccination research against Marburg hemorrhagic fever, a terrible illness that resembles Ebola and has killed 12 people in Rwanda, is about to start. Seven hundred doses of an experimental vaccine from the US-based Sabin Vaccine Institute will be used in the study, which was revealed on Sunday. According to the Rwandan Health Ministry, the vaccine will mainly be given to medical professionals, first responders, and people who have come into contact with confirmed Marburg cases. The vaccine cargo has been assessed by the Rwanda Biomedical Centre, according to Health Minister Sabin Nsanzimana.
There isn’t currently a licensed Marburg vaccination or therapy. The virus, which is believed to have originated in fruit bats, is transmitted via intimate contact with bodily fluids of infected people or contaminated objects, such as bedding. For up to 88% of people infected, the virus can be lethal in the absence of therapy.
On September 27, Rwanda declared a Marburg epidemic; the following day, six deaths were reported. Out of the 46 confirmed cases, 29 patients are being held in isolation. About 400 people have been identified by the authorities as having come into touch with sick people. Although the origin of the outbreak is yet unknown, medical facilities were the site of the initial cases.
Health workers from six districts—including areas close to the borders of Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo—make up the majority of cases in Rwanda. Fever, cramps in the muscles, diarrhea, vomiting, and, in extreme situations, death from significant blood loss are some of the symptoms of Marburg. Rwandans have been warned not to come into direct contact with other people in an effort to stop the virus’s spread. Implemented measures include limiting the amount of individuals allowed to attend funerals for Marburg victims and outlawing hospital and school visits. If the death is connected to the virus, home vigils are not allowed.
Additionally, the US Embassy in Kigali has instructed its employees to work from home rather than come into the office.
Previous Marburg outbreaks and cases have been documented in Tanzania, Equatorial Guinea, Angola, Congo, Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, and Ghana, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). When the virus was first discovered in 1967, it killed seven researchers who were using monkeys in laboratories in Belgrade, Serbia, and Marburg, Germany, at the same time. The persistent threat of Marburg is highlighted by the current outbreak in Rwanda, which calls for stringent controls and international cooperation to contain.
SOURCE :
ECONOMIC TIMES
