Ethiopia confirms three Marburg deaths as outbreak sparks regional alarm

As health authorities work to stop the deadly haemorrhagic disease that has put neighboring countries on high alert, Ethiopia has confirmed three deaths linked to Marburg virus in the south of the nation.

Three days after the government declared an outbreak in the Omo region that borders South Sudan, health minister Mekdes Daba made the announcement on Monday.

The minister said in a statement released by state broadcaster EBC that three deaths from the Ebola-like pathogen had been confirmed, and three more deaths with symptoms are still being investigated.

Due to the region’s rapid spread of cases, containment measures are in place now.

South Sudan issued health warnings to residents of border counties urging them to avoid contact with bodily fluids, while Ethiopia has isolated 129 people who have been in contact with confirmed patients and is closely monitoring them.

Extreme fever, sharp headaches, and muscle pain are the symptoms that come with vomiting and diarrhea. Patients’ nose, gums, and internal organs become hemorrhaging in serious cases.

After receiving warnings about a suspected hemorrhagic illness, Ethiopian authorities first identified the virus on Wednesday in the Jinka region. Before confirming the initial deaths, officials tested 17 people and identified at least nine infections.

According to Daba, work is being done to quickly control the outbreak through a coordinated national response. She claimed that the government has set up rapid response teams in the affected areas and activated emergency response centers at various levels.

No active symptomatic cases are currently being treated, according to the Ethiopian minister.

What facts about #Marburg, its signs, and how it spreads are absolutely necessary. 👇🏿#ViralFacts@viralfacts pic. twitter.com/dg6VdniaNH

Authorities can conduct diagnostic tests independently without relying solely on external assistance because Ethiopia has established its own laboratory testing capacity for Marburg at the national public health institute.

Anyone who had symptoms of the minister’s advice should go to a health facility right away for medical testing.

Containment efforts are being supported by international health teams from the World Health Organization and the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Additionally, the ministry has set up a hotline to report suspected cases, distribute Amharic infographics detailing symptoms and prevention measures, and set up a public awareness campaign.

Marburg spreads through bodily fluids or contaminated materials that come into direct contact with it.

According to WHO data, the virus kills roughly half of the infected, but mortality rates have increased to 88 percent in previous outbreaks.

The UN health agency warns that “in close contact with patients when infection control precautions are not strictly practiced, is where health workers are especially vulnerable to being infected by the virus.”

A troubling pattern of haemorrhagic fever emergencies is extending to East Africa with the Ethiopian outbreak.

Tanzania’s Marburg outbreak, which claimed 10 lives between January and March this year, ended with 15 people killed when the virus’s first Marburg outbreak was documented in Rwanda last December.

During the outbreak response, Rwanda tested an experimental vaccine.