Rwanda is preparing to initiate clinical trials for vaccines and therapeutics aimed at treating Marburg disease in the coming weeks, following its first outbreak of the viral fever, which has resulted in 11 fatalities. Health Minister Sabin Nsanzimana announced that the outbreak, detected in late September, has led to 36 confirmed cases so far. The government’s swift response involves leveraging vaccines and medications specifically designed to combat this crisis, which are currently in the final stages of research.
Nsanzimana emphasized the importance of collaboration, revealing that the Rwandan government is working closely with pharmaceutical companies in the U.S. and Europe, as well as the World Health Organization (WHO), to expedite the development and deployment of these treatments. Assistant Health Minister Yvan Butera further noted that health officials are actively monitoring 410 individuals who have been in contact with confirmed cases, while five additional people are awaiting further test results after initially testing negative.
Marburg disease, a viral hemorrhagic fever, presents symptoms such as high fever, severe headaches, and general malaise, which typically emerge within seven days of infection. The WHO has indicated that the disease has a fatality rate of up to 88%, and it is caused by a virus from the same family as Ebola. Transmission occurs through contact with bodily fluids of infected individuals, with fruit bats identified as the primary carriers. Previous outbreaks have been reported in neighboring Tanzania in 2023 and Uganda in 2017.
