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Rwanda’s health minister on Thursday declared an end to the outbreak of the deadly Marburg virus in the country, with no new cases for nearly two weeks.
“Marburg virus in Rwanda is over,” Health Minister Sabin Nsanzimana said during a press briefing of the Africa Union’s health watchdog, Africa CDC.
“I am very happy to report here today that it has been almost two weeks without a case and a month without a death related to Marburg disease,” he added.
The Marburg outbreak was first announced in Rwanda in late September, and vaccinations began in October.
“Since then we have been fighting this virus to make sure it’s controlled in Rwanda,” Nsanzimana said.
“All patients being treated for this virus are being discharged… we are making very good progress.”
Marburg is transmitted to humans from fruit bats and belongs to the same family of viruses as Ebola.
With a fatality rate of up to 88 percent, Marburg’s highly infectious hemorrhagic fever is often accompanied by bleeding and organ failure.
© 2024 AFP
Citation: Marburg virus over in Rwanda says health minister (2024, November 14) retrieved 14 November 2024 from
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