WHO has published Marburg virus disease - Equatorial Guinea. Excerpt:
Situation at a glance
Since the last Disease Outbreak News on this event was published on 22 March 2023 (with data as of 21 March 2023), six additional laboratory-confirmed cases of Marburg virus disease (MVD) have been reported in Equatorial Guinea. This brings the total to 15 laboratory-confirmed and 23 probable cases since the declaration of the outbreak on 13 February 2023. Among the laboratory confirmed there are 11 deaths (Case Fatality Ratio 78.6%; for one confirmed case the outcome is unknown), and all probable cases are dead. The most affected district is Bata in Litoral province, with nine laboratory-confirmed MVD cases reported.
WHO is supporting the Ministry of Health by strengthening different response pillars, including but not limited to surveillance, including at points of entry; laboratory; case management; infection prevention and control; risk communication and community engagement.
MVD is a disease with high mortality that causes haemorrhagic fever, and is among the diseases that require assessment under the International Health Regulations.
On 30 March 2023, WHO assessed the public health risk posed by this outbreak as very high at the national level, high at sub-regional level, moderate at the regional level and low at the global level.
WHO advises against restrictions to international travel and/or trade in Equatorial Guinea.
Description of the situation
On 13 February 2023, the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare of Equatorial Guinea declared an outbreak of Marburg virus disease (MVD) after suspected viral hemorrhagic fever deaths were reported between 7 January and 7 February 2023, and a case tested positive on 12 February for Marburg virus by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) at the Institute Pasteur in Dakar, Senegal.
Since the last Disease Outbreak News on this event (22 March 2023) and as of 11 April 2023, six additional laboratory-confirmed cases of MVD were reported in Equatorial Guinea, bringing the total of cases in the outbreak to 15 laboratory-confirmed. Additionally, 23 probable cases have been reported since the start of the outbreak. Eleven deaths were recorded among laboratory-confirmed cases (Case Fatality Ratio (CFR) among confirmed cases 78.6%), and all probable cases are dead; for one confirmed case the outcome is unknown. Four laboratory-confirmed cases (26.6%) were reported among healthcare workers, of whom two died. Among the confirmed cases, three have recovered.
Among MVD laboratory-confirmed cases with age and sex information (n = 13), the majority occurred among females (9/14; 64.3%), while the most affected age group is 40-49 years (6/14; 42.8%), followed by the age groups 10-19 and 30-39 (three cases each).
Five districts (Bata, Ebebiyin, Evinayong, Nsok Nsomo and Nsork) in four provinces (Centro Sur, Kie Ntem, Litoral and Wele-Nzas) have been affected by the outbreak (Figure 2), with Bata district reporting the majority of confirmed cases (n = 9) and deaths (n = 6), and Ebebiyin district, where the outbreak was first detected, reporting the majority of probable cases,(n = 11) (Table 1).
In the last 21 days (from 22 March 2023 to 11 April 2023), five confirmed cases were reported from Bata (n = 4) and Nsork (n = 1) districts (Figure 3). Among the four cases reported from Bata district, three cases have an epidemiological link either through a family cluster or through health care setting. The fourth and most recent case was reported on 7 April; an investigation of this case is ongoing to establish transmission chains and ensure appropriate identification of all contacts.
Since the last Disease Outbreak News on this event, one new district, Nsork in Wele-Nzas province, has been affected by the outbreak, reporting one confirmed case, linked to a known case from another district that previously reported confirmed cases.
Since the start of the outbreak and as of 10 April 2023, a total of 1322 contacts have been listed, with an average follow-up rate around 80-90%.
