Travel bans unnecessary as Rwanda's Marburg fever situation improves

The head of Africa's leading public health agency announced on Thursday that the Ebola-like Marburg fever outbreak in Rwanda is under control, making travel bans to the East African nation unnecessary.

Rwanda reported the outbreak on September 27, with 13 fatalities so far.

Currently, there is no approved vaccine or treatment available for Marburg.

Recently, Rwanda received 700 doses of a trial vaccine from the U.S.-based Sabin Vaccine Institute, intended for health workers, emergency responders, and those who have been in contact with confirmed cases.

Over 200 individuals have been vaccinated since the trial vaccines arrived.

According to Jean Kaseya of the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, the chance of Marburg spreading from Rwanda is virtually non-existent.

He praised the Rwandan government's robust response to the outbreak, noting the involvement of various officials.

“The system they implemented to track contacts ensures that no one can leave Rwanda,” he remarked.

“This is remarkable as they are monitoring these contacts every day.”

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its travel advisory for Rwanda on Monday, requiring screening for travellers who have been to the country recently.

The revised guidelines suggest that people reconsider non-essential travel to Rwanda.

Kaseya expressed discontent with this decision, stating it was made without input from the Africa CDC or Rwandan officials.

He argued that Rwanda should not be penalized with travel advisories for its transparency regarding the outbreak.

Health Minister Sabin Nsanzimana confirmed that there are 58 confirmed Marburg cases in Rwanda, with 12 recoveries, and criticized the American travel advisory as “not the best approach.”

The Marburg virus, similar to Ebola, is thought to come from fruit bats and spreads among humans through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected individuals or contaminated surfaces like bed sheets.

Without medical intervention, the disease can be deadly for up to 88% of those infected.

Symptoms encompass fever, muscle aches, diarrhoea, vomiting, and in severe cases, death due to significant blood loss.

The majority of cases have been reported among healthcare workers in six of Rwanda's 30 districts, particularly those near the borders with Congo, Burundi, Uganda, and Tanzania, as stated by the World Health Organization.

Rwandans are being asked to avoid physical interactions to help control the outbreak.

School sessions and hospital visits have been suspended, and the number of attendees at funerals for Marburg victims is limited.

Home vigils are banned if a death is connected to Marburg.

The U.S. Embassy in Kigali has instructed its employees to work from home and to avoid going to the office.

Marburg outbreaks and individual cases have been previously noted in Tanzania, Equatorial Guinea, Angola, Congo, Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, and Ghana.

The virus was first identified in 1967, following outbreaks in laboratories in Marburg, Germany, and Belgrade, Serbia.

Seven people died after exposure to the virus during research involving monkeys.