11 People Dead From Ebola-Like Virus: Rwanda

Rwanda: Ebola-Like Virus Claims Lives of 11 People

October 3, 2024 TruthUSA

The Marburg virus has no vaccines or treatments.

Eleven people in central Africa are dead from the Ebola-like Marburg virus, according to Rwandan health authorities.

The death toll has increased in recent days for the deadly hemorrhagic fever, which has no authorized vaccines or treatments.

Rwanda’s Ministry of Health on Sept. 27 first announced cases of Marburg in what they described as “a few patients.”

Since then, the number of confirmed infections has risen to 36, with 11 of the patients dying, authorities said on Oct. 2. Most of the infected are health care workers.

Officials say patients are being isolated, as are some of the at least 300 people who came into contact with the infected. They have urged people to remain calm.

“People should not panic as we have identified all the hotspots of the disease and are taking appropriate action,” Rwandan Health Minister Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana told reporters on Sept. 29.

“Marburg is a rare disease. We are intensifying contact tracing and testing to help stop the spread.”

Individuals experiencing symptoms associated with Marburg, including high fever, strong headaches, and vomiting, were advised to call the nearest health facility or the Rwanda Biomedical Centre.

The Rwanda Ministry of Health has said it is investigating the origin of the outbreak. The source remains unclear days later.

Like Ebola, the Marburg 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, such as contaminated bed sheets.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is scaling its support and will work with Rwandan authorities “to stop the spread of the virus and protect people at risk,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on the social media platform X.

The U.S. Embassy in Rwanda’s capital of Kigali has urged its staff to work remotely and avoid visiting offices.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in an alert that travelers to Rwanda should avoid sick people, not visit health care facilities for nonurgent reasons, and monitor their health while in the country and for 21 days after leaving. If travelers suffer from symptoms, they should immediately isolate and seek medical care, the agency said.

Rwanda is a landlocked country in central Africa with a population of approximately 11.6 million.

Marburg outbreaks and individual cases have been recorded in Tanzania, Equatorial Guinea, Angola, Congo, Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, and Ghana, and most recently in Equatorial Guinea in 2023.

The rare virus was first identified in 1967 after it caused simultaneous outbreaks of disease in laboratories in Marburg, Germany, and Belgrade, Serbia. Seven people who were exposed to the virus while conducting research on monkeys died.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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