Urgent Breakthrough: Rwanda Deploys Life-Saving Marburg Vaccine Trial Amid Rising Death Toll
Rwandan health officials have announced the commencement of a vaccine study to combat Marburg hemorrhagic fever amid an outbreak that has claimed 12 lives in the East African nation. On Saturday, Rwanda received 700 doses of a trial vaccine from the U.S.-based Sabin Vaccine Institute. The vaccine will be administered mainly to health workers, emergency responders, and individuals who have been in contact with confirmed cases, as reported by the Health Ministry. This study arises as there is currently no authorized vaccine or treatment for Marburg.
Health Minister Sabin Nsanzimana confirmed that the Rwanda Biomedical Centre had reviewed the vaccine shipment. Similar to Ebola, the Marburg virus is believed to be transmitted from fruit bats and spreads between people through close contact with bodily fluids or contaminated surfaces. Without treatment, Marburg can lead to a fatality rate as high as 88%. As of now, Rwanda reports 46 confirmed cases, with 29 in isolation, and has identified over 400 individuals who may have been exposed to the virus.
The country declared the outbreak on September 27, with the first deaths reported a day later. The source of the outbreak remains unidentified, but symptoms include fever, muscle pains, diarrhea, vomiting, and severe blood loss. Most of those affected are health workers in six districts, with some cases near borders with Congo, Burundi, Uganda, and Tanzania.
Efforts to control the outbreak include restrictions on physical contact, cancellation of school and hospital visits, limits on funeral attendance, and prohibitions on home vigils for Marburg-related deaths. The U.S. Embassy in Kigali has also advised its staff to work remotely. The WHO notes that Marburg has previously been recorded in countries including Tanzania, Equatorial Guinea, and others. The virus was first identified in 1967 in outbreaks in Germany and Serbia, linked to laboratory research on monkeys.
Original Story https://health.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/industry/rwanda-will-deploy-marburg-vaccine-under-trial-as-death-toll-rises-to-12/113996904
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