| No images? Click here  Tuesday 1 October 2024 Disease Outbreak NewsMarburg virus disease - Rwanda30 September 2024 Marburg virus disease - Rwanda: https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2024-DON537 Situation at a glanceOn 27 September 2024, the Rwanda Ministry of Health announced the confirmation of Marburg virus disease (MVD). Blood samples taken from people showing symptoms were tested by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) at the National Reference Laboratory of the Rwanda Biomedical Center and were positive for Marburg virus. As of 29 September 2024, a total of 26 confirmed cases, including eight deaths have been reported. The cases are reported from seven of the 30 districts in the country. Among the confirmed cases, over 70% are healthcare workers from two health facilities in Kigali. The patients are being cared for in hospitals. Contact tracing is underway, with 300 contacts under follow-up. This is the first time MVD has been reported in Rwanda. The Government of Rwanda is coordinating the response with support from WHO and partners. There is currently no available treatment or vaccine for MVD. This is why it is important for people showing Marburg-like symptoms to seek care early for supportive treatment which can improve patient survival. WHO assesses the risk of this outbreak as very high at the national level, high at the regional level, and low at the global level. Description of the situationOn 27 September 2024, the Rwanda Ministry of Health announced the confirmation of MVD in patients in health facilities in the country. Blood samples collected from suspected cases were sent to the National Reference Laboratory of the Rwanda Biomedical Center for testing and were positive for Marburg virus by RT-PCR on 26 September 2024. Samples are being sent to a regional reference laboratory for further confirmation. As of 29 September 2024, a total of 26 confirmed cases, including eight deaths (CFR: 31%), have been reported. The cases are reported from seven of the 30 districts in the county namely: Gasabo, Gatsibo, Kamonyi, Kicukiro, Nyagatare, Nyarugenge and Rubavu districts. Healthcare workers from two health facilities in Kigali account for over 70% of confirmed cases. The patients are being cared for in hospitals. Contact tracing is underway, with about 300 contacts under follow-up as of 29 September 2024. One contact travelled internationally. They remained healthy, completed the monitoring period and did not present with any symptoms. The source of the infection is still under investigation and additional information will be provided when available. This is the first report of MVD in Rwanda. EpidemiologyMVD is a highly virulent disease that can cause haemorrhagic fever and is clinically similar to Ebola diseases. Marburg and Ebola viruses are both members of the Filoviridae family (filovirus). People are initially infected with Marburg virus when they come into close contact with Rousettus bats, a type of fruit bat, that can carry the Marburg virus and are often found in mines or caves. Marburg virus spreads between people via direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected people, and with surfaces and materials (e.g. bedding, clothing) contaminated with these fluids. Healthcare workers have previously been infected while treating patients with suspected or confirmed MVD. Burial ceremonies that involve direct contact with the body of the deceased can also contribute to the transmission of Marburg virus. The incubation period varies from two to 21 days. Illness caused by Marburg virus begins abruptly, with high fever, severe headache and severe malaise. Severe watery diarrhoea, abdominal pain and cramping, nausea and vomiting can begin on the third day. Although not all cases present with haemorrhagic signs, severe haemorrhagic manifestations may appear between five and seven days from symptoms onset, and fatal cases usually have some form of bleeding, often from multiple areas. In fatal cases, death occurs most often between eight and nine days after symptom onset, usually preceded by severe blood loss and shock. There is currently no available treatment or vaccine for MVD. Some candidate vaccines are currently under development. Several outbreaks of MVD have previously been reported from countries neighbouring Rwanda, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania. The most recent outbreaks were reported in Equatorial Guinea and the United Republic of Tanzania between February and June 2023. The affected region in the United Republic of Tanzania was the Kagera region, which borders Rwanda. Additional countries that previously reported outbreaks of MVD in the African Region included Angola, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, and South Africa. Public health response
WHO risk assessmentMarburg virus disease (MVD) is caused by the same family of viruses (Filoviridae) that causes Ebola disease. MVD is an epidemic-prone disease associated with high CFR (24-88%). In the early course of the disease clinical diagnosis of MVD is challenging to distinguish from other infectious diseases such as malaria, typhoid fever, shigellosis, meningitis and other viral haemorrhagic fevers. Epidemiologic features can help differentiate between viral hemorrhagic fevers (including history of exposure to bats, caves, or mining) and laboratory testing is important to confirm the diagnosis. The notification of 26 confirmed cases, of which over 70% are healthcare workers from two different health facilities in the country is of great concern. Healthcare-associated infections (also known as nosocomial infections) of this disease can lead to further spread if not controlled early. The importance of screening all persons entering health facilities as well as inpatient surveillance for prompt identification, isolation, and notification cannot be overemphasized. This is in addition to the importance of contact identification and monitoring of all probable and confirmed cases. The source of the outbreak, geographical extent, the likely date of onset, and additional epidemiological information on cases are still pending further outbreak investigation. There is a risk of this outbreak spreading to neighbouring countries since cases have been reported in districts located at the borders with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the United Republic of Tanzania, and Uganda. Further risk of international spread is also high as confirmed cases have been reported in the capital city with an international airport and road networks to several cities in East Africa. A contact is known to have travelled internationally, and appropriate response measures have been implemented. Optimized supportive care for patients, which includes careful monitoring, intravenous fluid, and early treatment of complications, can improve patient survival. There are promising vaccines and therapeutic candidates for MVD, but these must be proven in clinical trials. WHO has provided guidance to the Ministry of Health on how to manage cases. WHO assesses the risk of this outbreak as very high at the national level, high at the regional level, and low at the global level. Investigations are ongoing to determine the full extent of the outbreak and this risk assessment will be updated as more information is received. WHO adviceMVD outbreak control relies on using a range of interventions, including prompt isolation and case management; surveillance including active case search, case investigation and contact tracing; an optimal laboratory service; infection prevention and control, including prompt safe and dignified burial; and social mobilization – community engagement is key to successfully controlling MVD outbreaks. Raising awareness of risk factors for Marburg virus infection and protective measures that individuals can take is an effective way to reduce human transmission. WHO advises the following risk reduction measures as an effective way to reduce MVD transmission in healthcare facilities and in communities:
WHO encourages all countries to send samples (positive or negative) to a WHO Collaborating Centre or a regional reference laboratory for confirmation. WHO recommends that clinical data from suspected and confirmed cases of Marburg disease are systematically collected to improve the limited understanding of the clinical course and direct causes and risk factors for poor outcomes. This can be done by contributing anonymized data to the WHO Global Clinical Platform for viral haemorrhagic fevers. Based on the current risk assessment, WHO advises against any travel and trade restrictions with Rwanda. Further information
 Media contact:  You are receiving this NO-REPLY email because you are included on a WHO mail list.  |
Monday, September 30, 2024
Disease Outbreak News Marburg virus disease - Rwanda
LEBANON SITUATION REPORT: HEALTH EMERGENCY UPDATE
| No images? Click here  Monday, 30 September 2024 LEBANON SITUATION REPORT The first situation report for the health emergency response (17-28 September, 2024), published on 30 September, provides an update on the situation in Lebanon, including information on people in need, facts and figures, attacks on health care, WHO support in numbers, health facility/trauma Management Capacity, ongoing WHO response, displacement, health sector response and challenges. Read the report in full here.  Media contacts:  You are receiving this NO-REPLY email because you are included on a WHO mail list.  |
MEDIA ADVISORY: Virtual Press Conference on the outcomes of the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) meeting, Tuesday, 01 October at 14.00 CEST
| No images? Click here  Monday, 30 September 2024 MEDIA ADVISORY Virtual press conference on the outcomes of the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) meeting When: Tuesday, 01 October, 14:00 CEST (Geneva time) Subject: The Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) held their regular biannual meeting from 23 to 26 September, to discuss, among others, recommendations on strategies and the use of a range of vaccines to prevent infectious diseases including RSV, cholera, polio and universal rubella vaccine. Major recommendations will be announced and discussed during this press conference. Speakers:
Join via Zoom:
Join by phone:
Notes to journalists: Please ensure you enter your name and media outlet (use name/outlet) and that your microphone is connected or active on your computer. When you sign in you will be automatically put in the meeting room. WHO reserves the right to remove any participant whose behaviour causes any disruption. To ask a question, please click "raise hand" and this will enter you into the queue for questions (it can be found under the tab: participants). If you wish, you may send your questions in advance to mediainquiries@who.int  Media contacts:  You are receiving this NO-REPLY email because you are included on a WHO mail list.  |
Sunday, September 29, 2024
SITUATION REPORT: Multi-country outbreak of mpox, External situation report #38 - 28 September 2024
| No images? Click here  Sunday, 29 September 2024 SITUATION REPORT Multi-country outbreak of mpox, External situation report #38 - 28 September 2024 The 38th situation report for the multi-country outbreak of mpox, published on 28 September, provides an update on the mpox epidemiological situation in Africa as of 22 September 2024. Highlights include:
Read the report in full here.  Media contacts:  You are receiving this NO-REPLY email because you are included on a WHO mail list.  |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)