Marburg virus in Tanzania

In addition to all the good news about the new construction of the OR complex and an extra tropical doctor for Sengerema, there is also less good news.

While Corona has been officially reduced to a severe flu in the Netherlands, there has been an outbreak of the Marburg virus in Bukoba in eastern Tanzania, just 175 km as the crow flies from Sengerema (355 km travel). Of the 8 known cases (including 2 care providers), 5 have since died (including 1 care provider).

A mortality rate of 62.5%.

The contacts have been identified, screened and isolated as much as possible. Incubation period is 21 days, so the danger of further spread has not yet passed.

Marburg is a sister of Ebola, which causes a so-called hemorrhagic fever. It starts as a flu, but then serious clotting disorders develop, causing the patients to bleed from all orifices. Organs can fail like a kind of dominoes, including the kidneys. There are no medicines, but supportive treatment is given in the hospital, such as fluids, blood and coagulation factors, and treatment of additional infections.

In well-equipped Western hospitals, a quarter of patients die, but in low and middle-income countries the mortality rate can be as high as 90%.

The virus spreads through direct contact with blood, saliva, and other bodily fluids. Given the bleeding that patients have, family members are quickly infected.

So hygiene measures have been increased again in Tanzania. Face masks, gloves and plastic aprons for patients with abdominal complaints or flu symptoms and good hand hygiene. And there has been practice with the "spacesuits" that must be worn during an actual outbreak in the region.

Fortunately, the new emergency room is open in Sengerema. Instead of 4 beds and some chairs for patients in one room where you can't turn your ass, the patients are now in a large and clean room, separated from each other by curtains. There is enough space to walk along the beds on both sides and the aids are within easy reach. They're ready.

A vaccine against Marburg has been in the works for years. But that has been halted for the development of the Corona vaccine, which was developed within a year. Matter of priorities.

In the wealthy Western world, we have a serious and life-threatening epidemic at most a few times a century. Then all hands are on deck to limit the damage and develop treatment protocols.

In recent years, Tanzania also had outbreaks of Dengue and Cholera in addition to Corona. Neighboring countries Uganda and Congo will fight Ebola outbreaks in 2022.

It is certainly not the intention to downplay the Corona pandemic. It was intense with serious consequences for many people, even now.

But if you see the list of epidemics in and around Tanzania in a row, it does put things into perspective. And it also wrings. That is why we need to take care to a higher level step by step so that they can better cope with the daily care problems.