Marburg Virus - A New Pandemic to Wreak Havoc in The World is on Its Way

Marburg Virus:

A global recovery effort is underway after the sweeping effects of the covid-19 virus. The list now includes what seems to be another virus as well. An outbreak of the Marburg virus was reported in Southern Gueckedou, Guinea, on August 9, 2021. According to the World Health Organization, there is a 88 per cent mortality rate associated with this virus. West African countries have been detected with this virus. The threat, however, has not reached the global stage. In terms of biological characteristics, the Marburg virus has similar properties to Ebola. A Guinean official announced that there had been no cases of Ebola until two months ago, and two months ago there was a case detected with the Ebola virus. In Gueckedou and Guinea's National Hemorrhagic Fever Laboratory, samples were collected from deceased patients and sent for testing. In Senegal, the institute Pasteur confirmed the same test results. 155 people who have come into contact with the infected are now being monitored by the health authorities. At a national level, there is a high risk of this virus spreading from bat colonies to humans. However, it is not yet considered a global threat.

What is Marburg Virus:

Marburg Virus is transmitted to humans when they are exposed to the Rousettus bat colonies that live in mines and caves. Unlike other viruses, this one is fatal as it has the ability to transfer from one human to another in mere seconds. Through direct contact with the infected person's broken skin, mucous membranes, blood, secretions, organs, etc., this virus can be spread. Infected people can spread this virus to other people by touching surfaces and materials such as bedding and clothing. Marburg virus has an incubation period of 2-21 days.

Common Symptoms of Marburg Virus:

Symptoms can manifest suddenly. Symptoms include –

• Symptoms may include high fever, severe headache, or discomfort. A severe muscular ache is also likely to accompany this.
• Watery diarrhoea, abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting may occur on day three as well. There is a risk that the diarrhoea could persist for a week afterwards.
• The skin of an infected person will be pale, the eyes will be fatigued, and the person will feel extremely tired.
• There can also be a non-itchy rash on infected people between days two and 7.
• It is also possible to experience bleeding in many intimate places.
• It is common to see oozing blood from parts of the body such as the nose, gums, and vaginal area. Vomit, as well as faeces, can contain blood.
• In addition to high fever and irritability, an infected person may also exhibit aggression.
• Depending on the severity of blood loss, death can occur after day 8 or 9. Shock and trauma may also cause infected people to die.

Diagnoses Process for Marburg Virus:

Upon confirmation of the virus, infected individuals can be diagnosed in several ways as noted by Medical Dialogues:

• Diagnostic tests for antigens.
• The Serum Neutralization Test.
• Cell culture is used to isolate viruses.
• Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction or RT-PCR.
• ELISA antibodies enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays.

When it comes to transporting samples, whether they are national or international, the labs should use a triple packaging system due to the highly deadly nature of this virus. A biohazard test is required with extreme biological containment conditions because it poses an extremely high risk.

Treatment for Marburg Virus:

Currently, there is no vaccine that can treat or prevent this virus. Rehydration with oral or intravenous fluids is especially important when people are in this condition. Survival rates increase when the right treatment is provided for the symptoms.