ABSTRACT
Background: The recent outbreaks of Marburg virus disease (MVD) in Guinea and Ghana have become a major public health concern not only to the West African sub-region but a threat to global health. Main body of the abstract: Given the poorly elucidated ecological and epidemiological dynamics of the Marburg virus, it would be imprudent to preclude the possibility of another pandemic if urgent efforts are not put in place. However, the prior emergence and impact of COVID-19 and other co-occurring epidemics may add 'noise' to the epidemiological dynamics and public health interventions that may be required in the advent of a MVD outbreak in Nigeria. Short conclusion: Paying attention to the lessons learned from previous (and current) multiple epidemics including Avian Influenza, Yellow fever, Ebola virus disease, Monkeypox, Lassa fever, and COVID-19 could help avoid a potentially devastating public health catastrophe in Nigeria.
ABSTRACT
3 It has been linked to several outbreaks since its simultaneous identification and characterization in 1967 in Marburg and Frankfurt, Germany, as well as in Belgrade, Serbia. 4 A few documented cases of MVD have been reported in Africa from 1975 to 1985. [...]1998, MVD was not considered as fatal as the Ebola virus. Hemorrhagic fever syndromes though a crucial disease indication. Because they resembled more widespread illnesses like malaria and typhoid, early instances may be overlooked. There is currently no recognized vaccine or antiviral medication for treating MVD. 1 A few documented cases of MVD have been reported in Africa are undergoing Phase I, II, and III clinical studies. 12 A standardized literature review reported that antiviral drugs such as Galidesivir, Favipiravir, and Remdesivir showed promising results with an 83% to 100% success rate when the drugs are given at a specific dosage regimen. 2 Though their efficacy is not fully proven against a large population, their usage is not yet approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or any other authorized organization. 2 In brief, when the Marburg virus comes into human contact, it only takes a few days to cause a deathly situation, and effective treatment is not available yet. [...]it is more important to consider the outbreak of MVD as an alarming situation. There are some common overlapping symptoms of these three viral infections. [...]the global health-care authorities should develop and adopt differential diagnostic techniques for quick detection and isolation of cases.
ABSTRACT
Hantaviruses are important pathogenes of natural focal diseases that causes hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome and Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. According to the latest classification of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses, hantaviruses can be divided into 53 species, 7 genera, and 4 subfamilies. Hantaviruses are widely found in Rodentia, Chiroptera, and Insectivora, and later also found in reptile, Actinopterygii, and Agnatha. There are many species of bats, which are the second largest group of mammals in the world after rodents. At present, 1 446 species have been reported, accounting for about 22% of global mammals. In addition, bats have strong flight ability and are widely distributed in all continents except Antarctica. As the host animal of viruses, bats bear a variety of viruses, and many emerging infectious pathogens such as Marburg virus, Hendra virus, and Nipah virus have been confirmed to come from bats. Bats have also been associated to Ebola virus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus, Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. In recent decades, more and more bat-borne hantaviruses have been discovered. Bats and bat-borne hantaviruses have an important research value. Therefore, this paper reviews the latest classification of Hantavirus and bat-borne hantaviruses.
ABSTRACT
Two cases of the deadly Marburgvirus were reported in Ghana, which might be a new global virus alert following COVID-19 and novel monkeypox. Thus far, there is no vaccine or treatment for Marburg virus disease, which is a disease with a mortality rate as high as that of Ebola. Although now human infections with Marburgvirus occurred mainly in Africa, outbreaks were twice reported in Europe over the past 55 years. A concern is that globalization might promote its global viral transmission, just like what happened with COVID-19. The current study has briefly summarized the etiology, epidemiology, and clinical symptoms of the Marburgvirus as well as vaccine development and experimental treatments in order to prevent and control this virus.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola , Marburg Virus Disease , Marburgvirus , Animals , Disease Outbreaks , Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola/prevention & control , Humans , Marburg Virus Disease/epidemiology , Marburg Virus Disease/prevention & controlABSTRACT
In August 2021, the Marburg virus disease (MVD) outbreak was confirmed amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in the Republic of Guinea. This is the first time it is detected in Guinea and West Africa. Marburg virus is one of the world's most threatening diseases, causing severe haemorrhagic fever, with a case fatality rate of 90%. Currently, there are no vaccines and specific antiviral drugs for MVD. Technical teams and community health care workers that were set up as part of the recent Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak that was declared over on June 19, 2021, are now redeployed to support governments response activities of the MVD outbreak in the country. The MVD is an added burden to the fragile healthcare systems that are already overburdened with multiple reoccurring epidemics and the COVID-19 pandemic. Previous epidermic strategies are needed to contain the spread of the disease, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, so the health care systems are not overwhelmed. This commentary discusses the available evidence regarding the epidemic of MVD in Guinea amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and highlights the efforts, challenges to be prioritized, and provides evidence-based recommendations.