- Rwanda begins a Marburg virus vaccine trial amid a deadly outbreak
- The vaccine, provided by the Sabin Vaccine Institute, targets healthcare workers and close contacts
- 46 confirmed cases reported, with 12 deaths since September 27th
Rwanda has initiated a vaccine trial against the Marburg virus in an effort to tackle an Ebola-like disease outbreak in the East African country.
The vaccination will begin immediately,” Health Minister Sabin Nsanzimana told a news conference in Kigali on Sunday.
The Marburg virus has killed 12 individuals in Rwanda since it was designated an epidemic on September 27th. Authorities stated at the time that the first instances had been discovered among patients in medical facilities. There has been no confirmation of the outbreak’s source.
The experimental vaccine, which is currently in phase two trials, was provided by Sabin Vaccine Institute in the United States.
The vaccines have been tested by health officials here in Rwanda and the standards bureau,” Nsanzimana told reporters.
He noted that the immunizations would target ” the most at-risk, most exposed healthcare workers working in treatment centers, hospitals, ICUs, and emergency rooms, as well as close contacts of confirmed cases.
“We believe that, with vaccines, we have a powerful tool to stop the spread of this virus,” according to the minister.
The Sabin Vaccine Institute stated in a statement on Saturday that it had dispatched an “initial shipment of approximately 700 vaccine doses” and that studies were already underway in adjacent Uganda and Kenya, with “no safety concerns reported to date.
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The Rwandan government reported 46 confirmed cases, 29 of which were in isolation. Health officials have identified at least 400 persons who were in contact with confirmed cases of the illness.
The Marburg virus, like Ebola, is thought to have originated in fruit bats and spreads by close contact with infected people’s bodily fluids or surfaces, such as contaminated bedsheets.
Without treatment, Marburg can kill up to 88 per cent of those who become ill with the disease.
Its symptoms include fever, muscle cramps, diarrhoea, vomiting, and, in some instances, severe blood loss, which can lead to death.
According to the World Health Organization, Marburg outbreaks and individual cases have previously been reported in Tanzania, Equatorial Guinea, Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, and Ghana.
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