Ebola-like Marburg virus linked to 8 deaths in Rwanda - Action News
Home WebMail Wednesday, November 13, 2024, 02:48 AM | Calgary | -2.2°C | Regions Advertise Login | Our platform is in maintenance mode. Some URLs may not be available. |
Health

Ebola-like Marburg virus linked to 8 deaths in Rwanda

Rwanda says eight people have died so farfrom the highly contagious Marburg virus.

WHO assesses risk of outbreak as 'very high at the national level, high at the regional level'

An electron microscope photo of the Marburg virus.
An electron microscope photo of the Marburg virus. (Thomas Geisbert/University of Texas Medical Branch)

Rwanda says that eight people have died so farfrom the highly contagious Marburg virus.

The announcement comes just days after the country declared an outbreak of the deadly hemorrhagic fever that has no authorized vaccine or treatment.

Like Ebola, the Marburg virus originates in fruit bats and spreads between people through close contact with the bodily fluids of infected individuals.

Rwanda, a landlocked country in central Africa, declared an outbreak on Friday and a day later the first six deaths were reported.

Health Minister Sabin Nsanzimana said on Sunday night that so far, 26 cases have been confirmed, and eight ofthe sickened people have died.

"WHO assesses the risk of this outbreak as very high at the national level, high at the regional leveland low at the global level," the WHO saidon Monday. "Investigations are ongoing to determine the full extent of the outbreak and this risk assessment will be updated as more information is received."

With files from CBC News

Add some good to your morning and evening.

A vital dose of the week's news in health and medicine, from CBC Health. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning.

...

The next issue of CBC Health's Second Opinion will soon be in your inbox.

Discover all CBC newsletters in theSubscription Centre.opens new window

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Google Terms of Service apply.