In the West African state of Guinea, the authorities have announced an outbreak of the life-threatening Marburg fever. As the World Health Organization announced on Monday evening, this is the first case ever in West Africa. Less than two months after the end of an Ebola outbreak in the state, the highly contagious fever was discovered in the Guéckedou prefecture of southern Guinea in a patient who has since died.
Initial on-site investigations were confirmed by the Pasteur Institute in Senegal’s capital Dakar. According to the authorities, 155 contact persons are already being monitored. The search for further contact persons for the patient is ongoing. Containing the outbreak is made more difficult by the simultaneous fight against the coronavirus. Similar to an Ebola infection, bat-borne Marburg fever usually leads to a high fever and internal bleeding. It is considered highly contagious and is transmitted to other people primarily through direct contact with body fluids. No antiviral drugs or vaccinations against the Marburg virus are currently approved, the WHO said in a statement.