A case of suspected infection with the rare Marburg virus, which causes a severe disease - Marburg hemorrhagic fever - was first identified in Guinea, the country's health ministry said.
A possible case of the virus has been tested in two Guinean laboratories. The authorities have now decided to send a sample to Senegal to confirm infection with the Marburg virus. In addition, the authorities ordered to check for possible virus infection in contacts of a person suspected of being infected with the virus and to tighten control over the area where the suspicious case was found.
The Marburg virus is a rare disease with high mortality and no specific antiviral treatment. The natural hosts of the Marburg virus are Rousettus aegypti, a fruit bats from the Pteropodidae family. The Marburg virus is transmitted to humans from bats and spreads by human-to-human transmission.
The incubation period for the virus ranges from 2 to 21 days. The disease begins suddenly with the onset of a high fever, severe headache and severe malaise. Muscle pain is a characteristic feature. On the third day, severe watery diarrhea, abdominal pain and colic, nausea and vomiting appear. In fatal cases, death most often occurs 8-9 days after the onset of symptoms and is usually preceded by severe blood loss and shock.