The Marburg virus disease (MVD) belongs to the same viral family as Ebola but is considered to be more severe in its effects and initially presents with symptoms including nausea, vomiting, sore throat, and abdominal discomfort.
Is Kazakhstan setting a new international trend in scanning arriving visitors for the virus? The Marburg virus is no longer a threat to Africa but to the world. No cases had been reported to the United States so far.
Kazakhstan’s health authorities announced in a statement on Monday that they have implemented mandatory temperature screenings for passengers arriving at the country’s airports from international locations. This measure is in response to a highly contagious and potentially fatal African disease outbreak.
“To prevent the virus from entering and spreading within Kazakhstan, we are implementing non-contact temperature screenings for all passengers arriving at international airports,” stated Chief Sanitary Doctor Sarhat Beisenova.
The disease, referred to as Marburg virus disease (MVD), belongs to the same viral family as Ebola but is considered to be more severe in its effects, and initially presents with symptoms including nausea, vomiting, sore throat, and abdominal discomfort. In severe cases, patients may succumb to significant blood loss. The virus is transmitted between individuals through contact with infected bodily fluids or contaminated surfaces, such as soiled bedding.
Kazakhstan’s health authorities have cited a warning from the World Health Organization issued last week, which indicates a significant risk of the outbreak extending beyond the East African nation’s borders.
Due to the significant migration rate within the population, the ministry also advised Kazakhstan’s citizens traveling to endemic countries to refrain from interacting with infected individuals, exercise caution around wild animals inhabiting the African jungle, avoid consuming undercooked meat from local wildlife, steer clear of caves and mines that host a substantial population of Egyptian bats—known asymptomatic carriers of the virus—promptly seek medical attention if any symptoms of illness arise, and adhere to personal hygiene practices.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that the disease can have a fatality rate as high as 88%. Last month, health authorities in Rwanda confirmed an outbreak of MVD.
Rwanda has reported at least 46 cases of MVD, predominantly among healthcare workers, with a minimum of 12 fatalities since the outbreak was declared on September 27. On Sunday, Rwanda initiated a vaccination campaign.
The virus is named after the German city where it was first identified in 1967, following the illness of scientists who were handling monkeys imported from Africa, marking the initial known cases of MVD. The Egyptian fruit bat, a species found in caves and mines, is known to carry the virus.
Kazakh authorities have advised against visiting caves and mines and avoiding close contact with wild animals in Africa.
Previous Marburg virus disease outbreaks have also been documented in Equatorial Guinea, Tanzania, Angola, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, and South Africa.
