Yesterday Rwanda reported one new Marburg virus case — a identified contact of an earlier case, however officers mentioned they had been cautiously optimistic the outbreak of the lethal filovirus was dwindling.
“It isn’t time to declare victory, however we’re headed in that course,” mentioned Yvan Butera, MD, PhD, Rwanda’s minister of state, standing in for the nation’s well being minister throughout an Africa Centres for Illness Management and Prevention (Africa CDC) briefing at present.
It isn’t time to declare victory, however we’re headed in that course,
The outbreak whole now stands at 66 circumstances, together with 15 deaths. In an replace at present, Rwanda’s well being ministry famous no new circumstances or deaths and that two sufferers stay in therapy. Prior to now 2 weeks, solely 4 circumstances have been reported, together with one well being employee and three case contacts underneath monitoring. Of the three case contacts, one was linked to the index case location.
Officers on the briefing mentioned they had been nonetheless attempting to find out when the well being employee was uncovered, because the employee had been vaccinated in opposition to the virus. Practically all circumstances on this outbreak have been in healthcare staff.
Extra vaccines on the best way
In associated information, the Sabin Vaccine Institute introduced on X it was sending 1,000 extra doses of the experimental Marburg vaccine was being ship to Rwanda after the preliminary 1,700 vaccines had been despatched in September.
The Institute mentioned 1,600 doses have already been utilized in at-risk populations, together with healthcare staff.
“The up to date protocol will assess security, immunogenicity, and efficacy, and focuses on high-risk people. Per the brand new protocol, half the members will obtain the investigational vaccine instantly and the opposite half will obtain their dose 21 days later – the incubation interval of the illness,” the X submit mentioned.
In at present’s briefing, Butera mentioned the Rwandan well being officers are investigating if some current circumstances of the virus had been being recognized past the assumed 21-day incubation interval.
