Nine people have died from the Marburg virus, which causes the deadly hemorrhagic fever, in eastern Equatorial Guinea in Central Africa as authorities imposed a quarantine on the province to contain the epidemic.
Health Minister Mitoha Ondo Aikaba told a press conference that only 3 people who showed “minor symptoms” of the disease are currently under quarantine in a hospital in this rural area on the border with Gabon and Cameroon.
He added that three people “have mild symptoms (…) that are improving.”
“Today, Equatorial Guinea announces a health status regarding the outbreak of Marburg haemorrhagic fever in Quintim province and the (nearby) Mongomo region,” the minister said.
The government announced last week that it was investigating alleged cases of hemorrhagic fever.
Marburg virus is transmitted to humans by fruit bats and is spread between humans through direct contact with infected bodily fluids or surfaces and materials.
Source: AFP