Ebola-like virus kills 8 in Rwanda just days after outbreak declared

Rwanda has reported eight deaths attributed to the highly contagious Marburg virus, an Ebola-like disease, just days after declaring an outbreak of the deadly hemorrhagic fever, which currently has no authorized vaccine or treatment.

Like Ebola, the Marburg virus is believed to originate in fruit bats and can spread between individuals through close contact with the bodily fluids of infected persons or contaminated surfaces, such as bed linens. Without proper medical intervention, the Marburg virus can be fatal in up to 88 percent of cases.

On Friday, Rwanda declared an outbreak, and the following day, it reported the first six deaths. As of Sunday night, Health Minister Sabin Nsanzimana confirmed 26 cases, with eight individuals having succumbed to the virus.

To combat the outbreak, the public has been advised to avoid physical contact, and authorities have identified around 300 individuals who have been in contact with those confirmed to have the virus. An unspecified number of these individuals have been placed in isolation facilities. Most affected individuals are health care workers across six of the country’s 30 districts.

“Marburg is a rare disease,” Nsanzimana said to journalists. “We are intensifying contact tracing and testing to help stop the spread.” The source of the disease has not yet been identified, with symptoms taking between three days and three weeks to manifest. Symptoms include fever, muscle pain, diarrhea, vomiting, and, in severe cases, death due to extreme blood loss.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is ramping up support and will collaborate with Rwandan authorities to help control the outbreak, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced on Saturday via the social media platform X.

In response to the outbreak, the U.S. Embassy in Rwanda’s capital, Kigali, has advised its staff to work remotely and refrain from visiting offices.

Historically, Marburg outbreaks and isolated cases have been reported in several African nations, including Tanzania, Equatorial Guinea, Angola, the Congo, Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, and Ghana, according to the WHO. The virus was first identified in 1967, following simultaneous outbreaks in laboratories in Marburg, Germany, and Belgrade, Serbia, leading to seven fatalities among researchers exposed to the virus.

In addition to the Marburg outbreak, Rwanda has reported six cases of mpox, a disease caused by a virus related to smallpox that generally presents milder symptoms. Rwanda launched an mpox vaccination campaign earlier this month and is expecting more vaccines soon. Neighboring Congo has reported most Mpox cases, marking the epicenter of the health emergency.

This article includes reporting from the Associated Press.