The mysterious illness that has claimed the lives of at least five people in Tanzania has been confirmed to be caused by the Marburg virus, a “cousin” of Ebola that causes, like the latter, hemorrhagic fever, the African country’s Ministry of Health announced Tuesday.

“The results of our public health laboratory have confirmed that the disease is caused by the Marburg virus,” Health Minister Umi Mualimu said, urging citizens to remain calm as “the government has succeeded in limiting the spread” of the disease.

She added that three patients were hospitalized, and 161 contacts with the diseased are under the supervision of health authorities.

Among the injured was a medical worker.

“There is no reason to panic or stop economic activity (…) We are doing everything necessary to fight this infectious disease,” he said.

Last week, the East African nation sent a team of doctors to the Kangera (northwest) region bordering Uganda to investigate the outbreak.

The Marburg virus is extremely dangerous. It causes severe fever, often accompanied by bleeding, affects many organs and reduces the ability of the body to

It belongs to the filovirus family, which also includes Ebola, which has caused deadly epidemics in Africa.

The World Health Organization (WHO) praised the authorities’ immediate response to the outbreak, adding that it needed to ensure there were “no gaps” in the health response.

A state of heightened vigilance

“I urge community officials to join forces with those of the government to ensure contact tracing (patients) and assistance to those who need it,” said the doctor. Zambulon Yoti, WHO representative.

Neighboring Uganda, which had its last Marburg virus outbreak in 2017, said it was on high alert.

The natural host of the Marburg virus is a species of fruit-eating African bat that is a vector but does not become ill.

The virus is named after the German city of Marburg, where it was first identified in 1967 in a laboratory that came into contact with infected monkeys imported from Uganda.

Animals can infect primates living among them, including humans. Person-to-person transmission occurs through contact with the blood or body secretions of patients.

According to the WHO, the case fatality rate for confirmed cases has ranged from 24 percent to 88 percent (averaging just under 50 percent) in previous outbreaks, depending on the strain of the virus and the treatment given to patients.

No cure

There is currently no vaccine or antiviral treatment, but experimental therapies, especially immunotherapy and drugs, are being evaluated, according to the same source.

Eleven people also died from Marburg virus disease in Equatorial Guinea, where an outbreak was declared on 7 January. This was the first outbreak of the virus in this country.

Other outbreaks or isolated cases have previously been identified in South Africa, Angola, Kenya and DR Congo.

Source: RES-IPE