Spain has detected its first suspected case of Marburg. This deadly infectious disease has led to the quarantining of more than 200 people in Equatorial Guinea, health authorities in the Spanish region of Valencia said on Saturday (February 25), Reuters reports.
A 34-year-old man, who had recently been in Equatorial Guinea, was transferred from a private hospital to an isolation unit at the Hospital La Fe in Valencia. At the same time, the regional health authorities said tests are carried out at Carlos III health institute in Madrid.
Marburg virus can have a fatality rate of up to 88%, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). There are no vaccines or antiviral drugs approved to treat it.
Equatorial Guinea quarantined more than 200 people and restricted movement on February 13 in its Kie-Ntem province, where the hemorrhagic fever was first detected.
The central African country has reported nine deaths and 16 suspected cases of the disease, with symptoms including fever, fatigue, blood-stained vomit, and diarrhea, according to the WHO.
The WHO said it was increasing its epidemiological surveillance in Equatorial Guinea.
Cameroonian authorities detected two suspected cases of Marburg disease on February 13 in Olamze, a commune on the border with Equatorial Guinea, the public health delegate for the region, Robert Mathurin Bidjang, said on February 14.
Cameroon had restricted movement along the border to try to avoid contagion.
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