WEB DESK
Kenya is on high alert after neighbouring Tanzania confirmed an outbreak of Marburg virus disease (MVD) in the northwestern Kagera region.
A statement issued by the Ministry of Health in Nairobi said Kenya has no reported cases but the country remains at high risk due to significant cross-border movements from Tanzania and other neighbouring nations. The principal secretary for public health and professional standards said that the Ministry of Health remains committed to protecting the health and safety of all Kenyans. Consequently, preparedness is being enhanced in the country through the development of a Marburg virus disease preparedness and response plan. Some of the MVD symptoms include abrupt high fever, severe headache and malaise. Muscle aches, cramping, nausea and vomiting, non-itchy rashes are also common features.
The statement was issued after the Marburg virus outbreak was confirmed in Tanzania’s Kagera region on Monday, with one positive case detected during investigations into suspected infections. Tanzania reported that a total of 25 suspected cases have been identified as of Monday. All of them have tested negative and are currently under close follow-up.
According to WHO, The Marburg virus is transmitted to people from fruit bats and spreads among humans through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people, surfaces and materials. Tanzania previously reported an MVD outbreak in March 2023, the country’s first, in the Kagera region, during which a total of nine cases and six deaths were reported. In Africa, previous outbreaks and sporadic cases have been reported in Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda.
According to WHO, Human MVD infection with an average fatality rate of 50 per cent, results from prolonged exposure to mines or caves inhabited by Rousettus fruit bat colonies. Once introduced into the human population, the Marburg virus can spread through human-to-human transmission via direct contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected people, and with surfaces and materials contaminated with these fluids.