Infectious disease specialist Golubovskaya spoke about the Marburg virus and the risks of its spread outside Africa
Kyiv • UNN
An outbreak of Marburg virus with a mortality rate of up to 90% has been recorded in Rwanda. Ukraine's chief infectious disease specialist warns of the difficulties of protection and the risk of spreading outside Africa.
Marburg virus causes a rapidly progressive hemorrhagic fever that tends to spread rapidly. Protection from this virus and similar requires specific means. About it in the commentary UNN told the chief infectious disease specialist of Ukraine, honored doctor, Professor Olga Golubovskaya.
Marburg fever is one of the three most severe hemorrhagic fevers along with Ebola and Lassa. Marburg virus belongs to the same family as Ebola (filoviruses), and can cause a rapidly progressive, fatal hemorrhagic fever, which is prone to rapid spread and has a mortality rate of 24 to 88% (according to WHO). Infection with the virus causing Marburg fever occurs through close contact with fruit bats, which are often found in mines or caves and have no clinical symptoms of disease.
On September 27, Rwanda announced for the first time a confirmed case, as of September 29, 26 cases were known (70% health workers), of which 8 were fatal. To date, 36 people have already been infected, 11 have died, 300 contacts are in isolation under surveillance, one has arrived in Belgium. The source of the infection has not yet been found.
“The danger is primarily in the contact mechanism of transmission, from which it is very difficult to isolate oneself. The symptoms of the disease are non-specific in the initial period, and therefore it can be confused with any other disease. And the third thing is that the lethality is very high, up to 90%. The average to date is about 50%. So far, this disease is of regional importance, but we live in a world that is changing very quickly,” the infectious disease specialist explained.
Golubovskaya recalled that in West Africa, the Ebola epidemic - caused by a virus from the same family - has not been localized since late 2014. As for Marburg, according to the specialist, the risk level of the outbreak in Rwanda is currently assessed as very high at the national level, high at the regional level and low at the global level. However, she also noted that there is a risk of spread to other African countries - because cases of infection have been identified in border areas. Also, the infectious disease specialist does not rule out further spread of the virus beyond the African continent.
According to the medic, the spread of fevers such as Marburg or Ebola is likely to cause high mortality in the region where the virus enters, because special suits and trained personnel are needed for protection.
“The staff must be trained, in particular, even how to put on and take off these suits, which is sometimes difficult. For example, when there were imported cases of Ebola in Italy and the U.S., the staff, among others, got sick, even in spite of special training. It can be very difficult to protect yourself,” Golubovskaya said.
The infectious disease specialist added that it would not be easy for any health care system in any country to face a virus like Marburg. At the same time, she notes that the Ukrainian medical system has demonstrated greater resilience during the covirus pandemic than the systems of Western Europe and the United States. At the same time, infectious diseases are a special group of diseases that require investment in prevention, including of severe forms, and resources for rapid hospitalization of a significant number of sick people.