Image: Denis Balibouse (X90072)
The number of officially reported cases is still nine, said WHO Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Tuesday. Seven people died after being infected with the pathogen in the African country.
However, the places of infection were 150 kilometers apart, which indicates a further spread of the virus and the WHO is aware of additional cases. That is why the government there is now being asked to officially inform the WHO. There is also an outbreak of Marburg virus in Tanzania, where eight cases including five deaths have been reported in one region.
Discovered in Marburg in 1967
Marburg virus infections first appeared in Equatorial Guinea in February. Signs of the disease include fever, fatigue and bloody diarrhea. The virus was first discovered in Marburg in 1967, but is believed to have originated in Africa. Almost a quarter of affected people die from the infection.
Source: Nachrichten