Rwanda’s fragile health care system could become overwhelmed by the deadly Marburg virus, doctors fear, because most of those currently infected are medical professionals, and some have already died.
Since the first outbreak in the country last month, at least 30 medical workers have been infected, and at least four have died. Among the infected are two of the country’s scarce anesthesiologists. More medical staff members are isolated in hospital wards in the capital, Kigali. The health care system, with approximately 1,500 doctors and fewer than 40 anesthesiologists for a nation of just over 13 million people, could face significant strain.
Rwanda’s health minister, Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana, has said the country is seeking experimental vaccines and treatments, and hopes to address the outbreak with candidate drugs and shots — those in preclinical or clinical trial phases.
“We are determined to halt this outbreak before it spreads to other areas within the country, the region or beyond,” he told reporters on Thursday.
The outbreak that began in late September was the East African country’s first known encounter with the virus, which has a high death rate. As of Friday, the Health Ministry had reported 42 cases and 13 deaths, with 80 percent of the infected identified as health care professionals. Those numbers are rising daily.
Marburg, first identified in Africa in the 1970s, is related to Ebola. Outbreaks can be started by contact with Egyptian fruit bats or their caves. Once infected, people can spread the virus to others through contact with bodily fluids such as blood or sweat.
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