Marburg Disease going unreported as cases continue to grow in Equatorial Guinea

Equatorial Guinea An aerial view of the town of Rebola in Equatorial Guinea. SUNDAY ALAMBA/AP

Luke 21:11 There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.

Important Takeaways:

  • Cases of Marburg going unreported in Equatorial Guinea, WHO says
  • The Marburg outbreak in Equatorial Guinea continues to grow, the World Health Organization said Wednesday, as the global health agency stated that it knows of confirmed cases that the country has not yet reported.
  • To date Equatorial Guinea has acknowledged nine laboratory-confirmed cases, seven of whom have died. In addition, 20 other people with links to the confirmed cases died without being tested; they are considered probable cases. Throughout this outbreak, which is believed to have begun in early January, the government has been slow to release updates; last week the WHO expressed fears there may be undetected chains of transmission.
  • Marburg virus disease is caused by a filovirus, which is the family to which Ebola viruses belong.
  • Marburg has a high case fatality rate.
  • Marburg outbreaks are typically smaller than Ebola outbreaks, with the largest on record encompassing 252 cases, 227 of whom died.

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