Marburg: All you need to know about this virus the WHO has issued warnings about
Marburg virus along with Mpox and Oropouche fever is spreading, healthcare experts decode the virus and if it would impact India
It has been almost five years since the news of the spread of Covid-19 gripped the world. As we head into 2025, murmurs of another virus have been doing the rounds. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has issued a warning for the Marburg virus, a kin to the Ebola virus, along with Mpox and Oropouche fever, that it is spreading in 17 countries.
Dr Shashi Nath Jha, Chairman of Department of Ophthalmology, Sir Gangaram Hospital, Delhi, explains, “The Marburg Virus Disease (MVD) is a rare animal-borne disease that can cause fatal outbreaks with high mortality rates. Earlier outbreaks were reported due to laboratory work with African green monkeys from Uganda.” According to WHO, the average fatality rate is around 50%.
This virus originated by spending time in mines or caves inhabited by Rousettus fruit bat colonies. Once a human is infected, transmissions can occur via bodily fluids, such as urine, saliva, faeces, vomit, breastmilk, amniotic fluid or semen,” explains Dr Shalmali Inamdar, Consultant, Physician and Adult Infectious Diseases, Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Mumbai. It can also be passed on via objects that are contaminated with body fluids from an infected individual.
Keep an eye out for these symptoms:
- Sudden onset of fever, chills and headache.
- Nausea, vomiting, along with abdominal pain, diarrhoea, muscle aches and pains
- Chest pain and sore throat
- Bleeding from theeyes has also been reported leading to the moniker “bleeding eye virus”.
- Non-itchy rashes have been reported in patients between 2 and 7 days after the onset of symptoms.
- Bleeding from the nose, gums and vagina can be seen from day 5.
- Inflammation of one or both testicles has been reported occasionally in the late phase of thedisease.
- Severe cases can lead to jaundice, inflammation of thepancreas, delirium, shock, liver failure, massive haemorrhage, and multiorgan dysfunction.
- In fatal cases, death occurs most often between 8 and 9 days after symptom onset, usually preceded by severe blood loss and shock
Prevention Method
- Personal protective equipment (PPE): Use of gloves, masks, and gowns during interaction with potentially infected individuals.
- Infection control measures: Proper hand hygiene, sterilization of equipment, and careful disposal of waste are critical.
- Avoiding infected animals: People should avoid contact with fruit bats or primates in endemic regions.
- Vaccination: There is no licensed vaccine yet, but there are promising experimental vaccines that are being tested.
Treatment
There are no vaccines or antiviral treatments available for MVD. Patients are provided with supportive care like rehydration and electrolytic balance as specific symptoms are treated, which can help prevent fatality and improve survival rates. One can opt for experimental treatment as there are monoclonal antibodies, antivirals, and vaccines which are in clinical trials but haven’t been approved as yet.
Are Indians at risk?
“This disease is not a cause of concern for Indians as it is mostly contained in Africa. However, precautions must be taken in case you are travelling to affected countries. Similarly, immigrants from these countries should be isolated and tested for the virus on detection of symptoms,” says Dr Shashi Nath Jha, Chairman, Department of Ophthalmology, Sir Gangaram Hospital, Delhi.
Agreeing the threat is currently negligible for Indians, Dr Inamdar shares, “If you are travelling to areas that are infected, it is important to be vigilant. I believe the authorities should continue monitoring [the international situation so that they can] handle things if there is an outbreak in a more oraganised manner.”
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