The deadly Marburg virus originates in fruit bats and spreads among people through close contact.Rwanda says at least eight people have died from the Ebola-like, highly contagious Marburg virus, just days after the country declared an outbreak of the deadly hemorrhagic fever that has no authorised vaccine or treatment.
Like Ebola, the Marburg virus originates in fruit bats and spreads among people through close contact with the bodily fluids of infected individuals or with surfaces, such as contaminated bedsheets.
Rwanda, a landlocked country in central Africa, declared an outbreak on Friday.
So far, 26 cases have been confirmed, and eight of the sickened people have died, Health Minister Sabin Nsanzimana said late on Sunday.
The public has been urged to avoid physical contact to help curb the spread, but some 300 people who came into contact with those confirmed to have the virus have also been identified.
An unspecified number of them have been put in isolation facilities and most of the affected are healthcare workers across six out of 30 districts in the country.
“Marburg is a rare disease,” Nsanzimana told journalists. “We are intensifying contact tracing and testing to help stop the spread.”
The minister said the source of the disease has not been deter …
