Health officials are back at conditioning the public minds again as another "pandemic" was reported "quickly" developing in East Africa, which "supposedly" originated from a bat species again.
The potential global spread of the Marburg virus, which has already killed at least 15 people in Rwanda, has sparked fear among authorities and triggered a travel advisory from the U.S. State Department.
On Nov. 22, the federal agency issued the advisory, recommending that travelers exercise "increased caution" in the African country due to the outbreak of the said virus, more commonly known as the "bleeding eye virus."
"Travelers may be subject to additional health screenings [when] entering and exiting Rwanda," it stated.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Marburg has a 20 to 90 percent fatality rate which may be compared to the Ebola virus. The bleeding eye is also a "rare but severe viral hemorrhagic fever that is highly deadly."
Reports indicate that the first case in Rwanda was confirmed in September. As of Nov. 29, the country had reported 66 virus cases and 15 deaths.
As per CDC, most of the infected people have been healthcare workers and around 75 percent of those infected have recovered.
No cases have been reported in the United States, and the health agency confirms that the risk of infection in the country is low.
Meanwhile, like previous health outbreaks, authorities declare the worst forecast.
"Marburg is one of the deadliest viruses that infect humans," Dr. Marc Siegel, senior medical analyst for Fox News and clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center, said. (Related: Next PLANDEMIC? CDC warns Marburg virus is coming.)
Symptoms of the virus are like those of the flu. These include fever, body aches, diarrhea, abdominal pain and vomiting. The interval between infection and symptoms is typically two to 21 days.
CDC reported that some may experience extreme weight loss, jaundice, inflammation of the pancreas, delirium, shock, liver failure, massive hemorrhaging and multi-organ dysfunction. In worse cases, there may be bleeding from the eyes, nose, mouth or gastrointestinal tract, hence the nickname "bleeding eye virus."
The "primary reservoir" (natural host) for the virus is the Egyptian rousette bat (Rousettus aegyptiacus), the CDC noted.
The virus is transmitted via bodily surfaces, blood and contact with contaminated surfaces.
Medical providers can manage symptoms with supportive care, including oxygen, pain medications and IV fluids for rehydration.
"There are other treatments in the works, including an experimental vaccine," the doctor noted.
Death usually occurs within eight to nine days after symptom onset, Siegel said – typically due to blood loss.
In order for a Marburg outbreak to be officially over, there must be 42 days without any new infections after the last recovered patient has had two negative tests 48 hours apart, according to the CDC.
Two multi-organ failure Marburg patients recover from the life-threatening condition
Rwanda health officials are delivering heartening news about the Marburg situation in the country despite the global scare of the outbreak.
In past outbreaks, as many as 9 out of 10 patients have died from the disease. And there are no approved vaccines or medications. But Rwandan officials said that the death rate has been the lowest ever reported.
"We are at a case fatality rate of 22.7 percent – probably among the lowest ever recorded [for a Marburg outbreak]," Rwandan Minister of State for Health Dr. Yvan Butera said at a press conference hosted by Africa CDC.
Also, two of the patients, who experienced multiple organ failure and were put on life support, have now been extubated – had their breathing tubes successfully removed – and have recovered from the virus.
"We believe this is the first time patients with Marburg virus have been extubated in Africa," said World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. "These patients would have died in previous outbreaks."
There was also a lower number of new cases. In the last two weeks, only four have been reported from several, bringing the total for this outbreak to 66 Marburg patients and 15 deaths.
"It's not yet time to declare victory, but we think we are headed in a good direction," Butera said. Public health experts are already using words like "remarkable," "unprecedented" and "very, very encouraging" to characterize the response.
If there are no more new cases by Dec. 22, the outbreak in Rwanda will be declared over.
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