Marburg virus
Marburg virus.. a deadly infectious disease that has isolated more than 200 people in Equatorial Guinea
Spain has detected its first suspected case of the Marburg virus, a deadly infectious disease that has quarantined more than 200 people in Equatorial Guinea, authorities in the Spanish province of Valencia said Saturday.
The regional health authorities said that a 34-year-old who had recently visited Equatorial Guinea had been transferred from a private hospital to an isolation unit in a hospital in Valencia, adding that he was undergoing medical examinations.
The World Health Organization has stated that the death rate due to Marburg virus infection can be as high as 88%. There is no vaccine or antiviral treatment approved yet.
Equatorial Guinea has placed more than 200 people in quarantine so far, and limited the movement of citizens on February 13 in Qui Ntim province, where infections first appeared with the virus that causes hemorrhagic fever.
The World Health Organization stated that the small Central African country has so far reported 9 deaths and 16 suspected cases of infection with the virus, and symptoms of infection included fever, fatigue, vomiting with blood and diarrhea.
Marburg virus (iStock)
The organization added that it is increasing the control of epidemic diseases in Equatorial Guinea.
The authorities in Cameroon also discovered two cases of Marburg virus on February 13 in the Ulamzi region on the border with Equatorial Guinea, according to a delegate from the public health sector in the region.
Cameroon has banned movement along the border in an attempt to avoid transmission.
The rare virus was first identified in 1967, after it led to simultaneous outbreaks in laboratories in Marburg, Germany, and Belgrade, Serbia.
Seven people died after contracting the virus while conducting research on monkeys.
Frightening symptoms
In parallel, there are major symptoms for those infected with the virus, as the disease caused by the Marburg virus suddenly begins with a severe headache and severe malaise. Another common symptom is muscle aches and pains.
The patient usually experiences a high fever on the first day of his infection, followed by a gradual and rapid weakness.
On the third day, the patient suffers from severe watery diarrhea, abdominal pain and cramps, nausea and vomiting. Diarrhea can last a whole week.
It was said that the patient, at this stage, shows features similar to the “features of a ghost”, deep eyes, an expressionless face, and extreme lethargy.
Many patients also show severe hemorrhagic symptoms between the fifth and seventh day, noting that fatal cases are usually characterized by a form of bleeding from several sites.