WHO warns of new outbreak of Marburg virus

The World Health Organization (WHO) has advised against any restrictions on travel and trade with Rwanda in the context of the current Marburg virus disease (MVD) outbreak.

“Public health consultation and the concerted and collaborative efforts of all public health partners must be a priority to contain outbreaks and protect people around the world,” said the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, via social network X.

According to the WHO, travel and trade restrictions are currently “ineffective and unnecessary” to control the current outbreak and are “potentially harmful” to affected societies and economies.

In addition, he points out that restrictions may “interfere with rapid data exchange and public health information among the global health community, which is critical to an informed response to the outbreak.”

September 27, Ministry of Health of Rwanda confirmed the first outbreak of Marburg virus disease in the country, which particularly affected health workers in Kigali. Although sporadic outbreaks have occurred in various parts of Africa since the first reported cases in Germany in 1967, this outbreak is now the third largest ever recorded.

Government Rwanda has implemented public health measures to respond to the ongoing outbreak, including identifying, investigating, isolating and testing all suspected cases. The government also carried out extensive contact tracing to limit the outbreak to existing chains of transmission.

All confirmed cases are isolated and treated at a special treatment center in Marburg. Additionally, since the outbreak was declared, all new confirmed cases have been reported from hospital clusters in Kigali. There is currently no evidence of community transmission of the virus.

More help for Africa

Thus, WHO indicated that it helps Rwanda dispatching experts and providing necessary materials for diagnosis, infection, prevention and control, and patient care.

WHO published Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan outlining recommended strategic actions across all key areas of the Home Office response in Rwanda to rapidly interrupt all chains of transmission and control the outbreak, including through the use of evidence-based public health and risk measures at points of entry and across borders to contain its spread.

The global donor community has also been called upon to support critical efforts to stop the outbreak and protect vulnerable populations.