Possible Marburg virus case found in Spain
Date
2/26/2023 2:56:50 AM
(MENAFN) Suspected case of the Marburg virus has been reported in the Valencia region of Spain. The patient, a 34-year-old man, had recently traveled to Equatorial Guinea, which is experiencing an outbreak of the deadly virus.
The patient has been placed in isolation at La Fe hospital in Valencia, and samples of his biological material have been sent to the Carlos III health Institute in Madrid for testing. Equatorial Guinea has so far reported nine deaths and 16 suspected cases of the Marburg virus, which shares similarities with Ebola and has a high fatality rate of up to 88%, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The Marburg virus is highly infectious and transmitted to humans through fruit bats, and spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people or surfaces and materials. Symptoms include fever, fatigue, and bloodstained vomit and diarrhea.
The disease was first discovered in simultaneous outbreaks in Marburg and Frankfurt, Germany, and Belgrade, Serbia, in 1967. Despite over 50 years of research, there are no vaccines or antiviral treatments approved to treat the virus.
The outbreak in Equatorial Guinea has raised concern about the potential for the virus to spread beyond the region.
The WHO has warned that the Marburg virus poses a significant risk to public health, and has urged countries to take preventive measures to control the spread of the disease. Given the highly infectious nature of the virus, experts fear that the detection of a suspected case in Spain could lead to a wider outbreak in Europe.
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