The World Health Organisation says Equatorial Guinea has confirmed its first outbreak of Marburg disease, saying the Ebola-related virus is responsible for at least nine deaths in the tiny Western Africa country.
In a statement, the UN health agency confirmed the epidemic after samples from Equatorial Guinea were sent to a lab in Senegal to pinpoint the cause of the disease after an alert from a local health official last week.
The WHO said there were nine deaths and 16 suspected cases with symptoms such as fever, fatigue, diarrhoea, and vomiting. The agency said it was sending medical experts to help officials in Equatorial Guinea stop the outbreak and was also sending protective equipment for hundreds of workers.
Like Ebola, the Marburg virus originates in bats and spreads between people via close contact with the bodily fluids of infected people, or surfaces such as contaminated bed sheets. Without treatment, Marburg can be fatal in up to 88 per cent of people.
