Durban — Health experts are saying South Africa should not panic about the Marburg virus as the country was not at risk of an outbreak.
Marburg is a haemorrhagic fever (MHF) caused by a filovirus. Furthermore, the Marburg outbreak took place in Tanzania and Equatorial Guinea. The experts said the South Africans who were infected with this virus from the Ebola group are not at risk of dying, although there are no vaccines and medication for it yet.
They added that the virus did not spread fast like Covid-19, which is why there is no need to panic, even though neighbouring countries have experienced outbreaks.
Professor Lucille Blumberg, an infectious diseases specialist from Right to Care who is also a deputy director at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), said it was not easy for people who were infected to infect people from other countries.
“The people who are at risk of being infected with Marburg are those taking care of infected people, which can be nurses. The families of those infected are also at risk. It is transmissible through liquid, which could be snot, saliva, tears, blood and others. You can get this virus if you are close to the person, but if there is no liquid contact it will not affect a person nearby,” said Blumberg.
She said Marburg was dangerous once you got it as it was similar to Ebola. Moreover, she said it caused bleeding, which could be through diarrhoea and vomiting. She said that to prevent it, people who were infected must be quarantined and seek treatment, even though there had not been a specific medication for it.
“When I say the risk is not big, I am not saying that the virus will not come into this country. We need to be alert,” she said.
She said that if the virus entered the country it would not be difficult to fight as there were quarantine wards in hospitals that were made during the pandemic.
“When people visit African countries they must not forget to be vaccinated for malaria as it is still out there,” she added.
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