The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Friday that nine people in Ethiopia have been infected with the potentially fatal Marburg virus, following confirmation from the African nation’s Ministry of Health.
The Marburg virus is one of the most dangerous known pathogens, and is often fatal.
In addition to a severe fever, intense headache, and acute muscle pain, many patients suffer from severe hemorrhaging within a week of infection.
The WHO states that there are currently no approved medicines for effective treatment or vaccines to protect against the disease.
According to the organization, the virus outbreak in Ethiopia is the “first of its kind in the country.”
There have been several cases recently in other East African countries, and genetic analysis indicates that this is the same strain of the virus that is causing the illness in the town of Jinka in Southern Ethiopia.
The WHO sent a team of experts to the region to combat the outbreak of this viral hemorrhagic fever, according to a statement issued on Friday.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
