Rwandan authorities have restricted the scale of funerals for Marburg virus victims in a bid to curb an outbreak of the extremely contagious illness.
Rwanda’s Ministry of Well being confirmed on Friday that eight individuals have died in Rwanda’s first outbreak of the virus.
Marburg virus belongs to the identical virus household as Ebola, and its fatality charge is as excessive as 88%. It’s transmitted to people by fruit bats after which to people by contact with the bodily fluids of contaminated individuals.
In new steerage to cease the unfold of Marburg virus, the Division of Well being mentioned not more than 50 individuals ought to attend funerals of people that have died from the illness.
An advisory issued on Sunday night time mentioned “regular enterprise and different actions” might proceed within the East African nation.
Nevertheless, it additionally urged the general public to keep away from shut contact with “symptomatic individuals”. The well being ministry lists signs similar to fever, headache, muscle aches, vomiting and diarrhea.
The virus may cause dying because of excessive blood loss.
Well being Ministry pointers say no visits by hospital sufferers might be allowed for the following 14 days.
The steerage says sufferers ought to solely be cared for by one caregiver at a time.
In lots of creating international locations, sufferers’ family members carry out primary care duties, similar to cleansing and feeding, which can be usually carried out by caregivers in different international locations.
The official dying toll was put at six on Saturday, with Rwanda’s well being minister saying many of the victims have been medical employees in hospital intensive care items.
Dr Nasheed Badria, director of the Middle for Rising Infectious Illnesses at Boston College, instructed BBC Information that containing the unfold of the virus may very well be difficult as a result of most reported instances have been within the densely populated capital Kigali, the place beforehand Outbreaks are likely to happen in Kigali.
Nonetheless, she added, there was hope for Rwanda as a result of “Rwanda has a greater historical past of infrastructure and public well being coordination than many different international locations”.
Rwanda mentioned it was stepping up contact tracing, surveillance and detection to assist curb the unfold of the epidemic.
The nation’s well being minister mentioned on Sunday that officers have been tracing round 300 individuals who had come into contact with individuals contaminated with the Marburg virus.
Authorities urge individuals to follow good hygiene, similar to washing palms often.
That is the primary time Marburg virus has been identified in Rwanda.
Neighboring Tanzania reported an outbreak in 2023, whereas three individuals died in Uganda in 2017.
