Uganda, which is struggling to contain the threat of what is already the third-largest Ebola outbreak on record – centred in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) – now faces the risk of Marburg virus, another deadly filovirus disease, reports Healthandme.
Although the country has not yet publicly declared an outbreak, it formally reported a suspected case to the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Tuesday, according to a STAT News report.
The previous day, the US Embassy in the capital, Kampala, also issued a health alert as a level four travel advisory, warning Americans not to travel to Uganda.
The country has extensive experience managing outbreaks of viral haemorrhagic fevers, but last reported a Marburg outbreak in 2017, when there were four cases and three deaths.
However, responding to another Marburg outbreak while simultaneously battling Ebola could complicate current public health efforts.
Both are viral haemorrhagic fevers caused by closely related filoviruses. So far, Uganda has reported 20 cases of the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, including two deaths. Of these, 15 cases were imported from the DRC.
There is currently no approved specific treatment or vaccine for Marburg, but supportive care significantly improves survival, and several vaccines, antiviral drugs and immune therapies are under development, according to the WHO.
The disease has killed between 24% and 88% of infected patients in previous outbreaks, depending on the virus strain and the quality of medical care available.
Outside Africa, only a handful of Marburg cases have been reported. Two fatal cases occurred in travellers who had visited bat-inhabited caves in Uganda – one in Europe and one in the United States.
Healthandme article – Uganda On Alert Over Suspected Marburg Virus Outbreak (Open access)
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Global race for Marburg vaccine
Rwanda’s rapid response to Marburg outbreak lauded
First cases of deadly Marburg virus reported in Ghana