Monday, 6 November 2017

Deadly virus similar to #Ebola breaks out in Uganda

An outbreak of a lethal virus 'clinically similar' to Ebola has broken out in Uganda, concerned health chiefs have announced.
Marburg virus disease, which kills up to 88 per cent of people it strikes, is considered to be one of the most deadly pathogens in existence
Marburg virus disease, which kills up to 88 per cent of people it strikes, is considered to be one of the most deadly pathogens in existence. Five cases have been identified so far as international aid agencies have rushed to deploy teams on the ground to control the outbreak. 
The news comes amid a surge in cases of plague in Madagascar, which is considered to be the 'worst outbreak in 50 years' and now at 'crisis' point. 
MVD falls within the same family as the Ebola virus - the haemorrhagic fever that decimated West Africa and killed around 11,000 in 2014 and 2015. 


It can be spread through bites from either fruit bats or monkeys, and can be passed from human-to-human through semen and blood.
However, MVD can also be passed through coming into contact with contaminated clothing and bedsheets, the World Health Organization states.
MVD causes severe bleeding, fever, vomiting and bouts of diarrhoea and it has a 21-day incubation period. Currently, there is no treatment.

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