Close X
Monday, November 25, 2024
ADVT 
International

WHO says Equatorial Guinea confirms 1st outbreak of Marburg

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 13 Feb, 2023 01:58 PM
  • WHO says Equatorial Guinea confirms 1st outbreak of Marburg

Photo courtesy of IStock. 

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — The World Health Organization says that Equatorial Guinea has confirmed its first-ever outbreak of Marburg disease, saying the Ebola-related virus is responsible for at least nine deaths in the tiny Western African country.

In a statement on Monday, the U.N. health agency confirmed the epidemic after samples from Equatorial Guinea were sent to a lab in Senegal to pinpoint the cause of disease after an alert from a local health official last week.

The WHO said there were currently nine deaths and 16 suspected cases with symptoms including fever, fatigue, diarrhea and vomiting. The agency said it was sending medical experts to help officials in Equatorial Guinea stop the outbreak and was also sending protective equipment for hundreds of workers.

Like Ebola, the Marburg virus originates in bats and spreads between people via close contact with the bodily fluids of infected people, or surfaces, like contaminated bed sheets. Without treatment, Marburg can be fatal in up to 88% of people.

The rare virus was first identified in 1967 after it caused simultaneous outbreaks of disease in laboratories in Marburg, Germany and Belgrade, Serbia. Seven people died who were exposed to the virus while conducting research on monkeys.

There are no authorized vaccines or drugs to treat Marburg, but rehydration treatment to alleviate symptoms can improve the chances of survival.

In a 2004 outbreak in Angola, Marburg killed 90% of 252 people infected. Last year, there were two reported Marburg deaths in Ghana.

MORE International ARTICLES

Monkeypox on track to hit 100,000 cases globally by August: US expert

Monkeypox on track to hit 100,000 cases globally by August: US expert
Monkeypox infection is not showing signs of slowing down and is on track to hit 100,000 cases by August as per an earlier forecast, top US epidemiologist and health economist Eric Feigl-Ding warned.  About 60 countries have to date reportedly confirmed more than 11,500 cases of the viral disease.

Monkeypox on track to hit 100,000 cases globally by August: US expert

Ivana Trump, first wife of former president, dies at 73

Ivana Trump, first wife of former president, dies at 73
She was found unconscious near a staircase in the home, the people said. The people could not discuss the matter publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity. The medical examiner’s office will determine an official cause of death.

Ivana Trump, first wife of former president, dies at 73

Sunak wins first round in Tory leadership contest, but Boris puts a spanner in the works

Sunak wins first round in Tory leadership contest, but Boris puts a spanner in the works
Penny Mordaunt, a former Defence Secretary, came second with 67 votes. Third was Liz Truss, Foreign Secretary, securing 50 votes. Attorney General Suella Fernandes Braverman, who is of Goan Indian descent, scraped through with 32 votes. 

Sunak wins first round in Tory leadership contest, but Boris puts a spanner in the works

2 killed, 3 injured in shootings at 4 US California 7-Eleven stores

2 killed, 3 injured in shootings at 4 US California 7-Eleven stores
La Habra is a city in the northwestern corner of Orange County. The La Habra Police Department said in a press release that their officers responded at about 4:55 a.m. to a robbery at a 7-Eleven store, Xinhua news agency reported.

2 killed, 3 injured in shootings at 4 US California 7-Eleven stores

Rishi Sunak cementing position as Tory leadership front-runner

Rishi Sunak cementing position as Tory leadership front-runner
The former Chancellor again batted away calls for tax cuts before inflation is under control, saying "we need to have a grown up conversation". At the event in Westminster, he also heaped praise on Boris Johnson, describing him as "one of the most remarkable people I have ever met" who has a "good heart" - but it was "not working" any more.

Rishi Sunak cementing position as Tory leadership front-runner

Rishi Sunak now bookmakers' favourite to become UK PM

Rishi Sunak now bookmakers' favourite to become UK PM
The vacancy was created when the incumbent Boris Johnson lost the confidence of his party MPs after a series of scandals, and resigned on Thursday. 11 candidate have since thrown their hats into the ring. Among them, Sunak, who chancellor of the exchequer before he resigned last Tuesday, and Suella Fernandes Braverman, who is of Goan descent and is still serving as caretaker attorney general.

Rishi Sunak now bookmakers' favourite to become UK PM