Rwanda activates contact tracing to stop deadly Marburg virus spread

Rwanda confirmed six deaths and 20 other confirmed cases in an outbreak of the Marburg virus, a highly infectious hemorrhagic fever similar to Ebola. In a media briefing in the capital Kigali, the country’s Health Minister outlined the steps being taken to stop the disease from spreading.

The animals can pass the virus to primates in close proximity, including humans, and human-to-human transmission then occurs through contact with blood or other body fluids.There are currently no vaccines or antiviral treatments, but potential treatments, including blood products, immune and drug therapies, as well as early candidate vaccines, are being evaluated.