Marburg Fever Claims Lives in Rwanda Amid Investigation

Marburg hemorrhagic fever has claimed 11 lives in Rwanda as health authorities work to ascertain the outbreak's origin. Initially detected on September 27 among patients in health facilities, the outbreak's source remains elusive, sparking heightened concern in the East African nation. To date, the Rwandan government has reported 36 confirmed cases, with 25 patients currently under isolation.

Over 300 contacts of those who are infected have been identified, and an unspecified number of them are now in isolation. Healthcare workers in six of the country's 30 districts have been infected, and Rwandans are advised to limit physical contact to curb the virus's transmission. The US Embassy in Kigali has instructed its staff to work remotely as a precautionary measure.

The Marburg virus, akin to Ebola, is believed to originate from fruit bats and spreads through close contact with bodily fluids or contaminated surfaces. Without intervention, the disease proves fatal in up to 88% of cases. Symptoms range from fever and muscle pains to severe bleeding. Previous occurrences have been noted in countries such as Tanzania, Equatorial Guinea, and Angola. This virus was first identified during 1967 outbreaks in Germany and Serbia, when laboratory personnel researching monkeys were affected, resulting in seven fatalities. (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)