Authorities in Ethiopia on Friday confirmed the first outbreak of Marburg hemorrhagic fever, which was detected in nine people. This was announced by the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who also praised the Ethiopian government for she showed determination to quickly bring the outbreak under control. TASR informs about it with reference to the AP agency.
The Ethiopian government announced on Thursday that is investigating a possible outbreak of an unidentified viral hemorrhagic fever and contacted the Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).
The WHO sent a technical support team to the East African country on the same day. It will also provide basic assistance such as personal protective equipment for healthcare workers or a quick-to-use isolation tent.
Cases of infection occurred in the south of Ethiopia in the Omo region, which borders South Sudan. Africa CDC Director General Jean Kaseya said on Thursday that the outbreak is worrisome because “South Sudan is not far away and has a weak health care system.”
Marburg virus causes a highly infectious hemorrhagic fever that has a mortality rate of up to 90 percent and is accompanied by bleeding and organ failure. Its carrier is bats and it belongs to the same group of viruses as Ebola. Between people then spread by contact with bodily fluids of the infected or with contaminated surfaces, such as bed sheets.
