Three new deaths have been confirmed in Ethiopia's Marburg virus outbreak, bringing the death toll to eight, according to the latest update from Ethiopian health officials.
There are now 12 confirmed cases in the outbreak, which was first reported in mid-November and is occurring in the southern part of the country. Last week, the Ministry of Health said that 73 suspected case-patients have been tested so far, and 349 contacts were being monitored. Three patients have recovered, and one is still in treatment.
Outbreaks tied to high death rates
This is Ethiopia's first outbreak of the severe and often deadly viral hemorrhagic fever, which is typically transmitted to people from fruit bats, can spread through contact with bodily fluids and contaminated materials, and is in the same family as Ebola. Nineteen outbreaks have previously been reported globally.
The case-fatality rate in previous outbreaks has ranged from 24% to 88%. Unlike with Ebola, there is no vaccine.
In a media briefing today, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD, said the WHO is providing testing supplies and protective equipment for health care workers and deploying experts to support local authorities.
