Claim: Two cases of Marburg Virus in Cameroon from Equatorial Guinea.
Verdict: Incorrect! The suspected cases were malaria patients.
The minister of Public health Manaouda Malachie took to social media to debunk the news that Marburg virus is in the country. There were earlier suspected cases but both have tested negative for the virsus. These suspected persons were suffering from malaria.
Confirmed Cases in Equatorial Guinea
Reports of the first-ever outbreak in neighbouring Equatorial Guinea. 9 fatalities and 16 suspected cases have been recorded.
On the Equatorial Guinea border, where the fatal haemorrhagic fever is now on the rise, health officials in Cameroon report finding two probable cases of the Marburg virus. Both members of the duo had never crossed the border.
In an effort to slow the spread of the virus, the World Health Organization has dispatched more contact tracing specialists to Eastern Equatorial Guinea.
The southern border region of Cameroon has previously been subject to mobility restrictions.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Marburg virus disease (MVD) is a rare but severe hemorrhagic fever which affects both people and non-human primates. MVD is caused by the Marburg virus, a genetically unique zoonotic (or, animal-borne) RNA virus of the filovirus family. The six species of Ebola virus are the only other known members of the filovirus family.
Marburg virus was first recognized in 1967, when outbreaks of hemorrhagic fever occurred simultaneously in laboratories in Marburg and Frankfurt, Germany and in Belgrade, Yugoslavia (now Serbia). Thirty-one people became ill, initially laboratory workers followed by several medical personnel and family members who had cared for them.
Seven deaths were reported. The first people infected had been exposed to Ugandan imported African green monkeys or their tissues while conducting research. One additional case was diagnosed retrospectively.
The reservoir host of Marburg virus is the African fruit bat, Rousettus aegyptiacus. Fruit bats infected with Marburg virus do not show obvious signs of illness. Primates (including people) can become infected with Marburg virus, and may develop serious disease with high mortality. Further study is needed to determine if other species may also host the virus.
