AFRICA CURRENT POLITICAL ECONOMIC SOCIAL TOPICS

AFRICA CURRENT ISSUES EVENTS:

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Epidemic outbreaks in Africa –

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The Marburg virus disease (MVD)

ORIGIN – Marburg Frankfurt in Germany

CAUSATIVE AGENT – The Egyptian fruit bat is considered a reservoir for the virus, which can be transmitted through direct contact with infected bat or monkey tissue, bodily fluids, or contaminated objects

AREA OF OUTBREAK – sub-Saharan Africa(Equatorial Guinea and Tanzania)

WHETHER VACCINE AVAILABLE - NO

 

In early 2023, Equatorial Guinea and Tanzania experienced an outbreak of MARV, which was the first of its kind. In mid-February 2023, Equatorial Guinea confirmed its first-ever outbreak of MVD after conducting preliminary tests on samples from the eastern province of the country.

The Marburg virus disease (MVD) is caused by a rare RNA virus that can result in severe hemorrhagic fever in humans and other primates. The disease was first discovered in 1967 in Marburg Frankfurt in Germany and since then, sporadic cases have been reported in southeastern Africa. The Egyptian fruit bat is considered a reservoir for the virus, which can be transmitted through direct contact with infected bat or monkey tissue, bodily fluids, or contaminated objects.

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Ebola virus –

ORIGIN – Ebola River in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo .

CAUSATIVE AGENT – infected animal (bat or nonhuman primate) or a sick or dead person infected with an ebolavirus.

AREA OF OUTBREAK – sub-Saharan AfricaLiberia and Sierra Leone, which border Guinea.

WHETHER VACCINE AVAILABLE – Yes(Ebola vaccine, ERVEBO^®, for the prevention of Ebola disease)

 

Ebolaviruses were first described in 1976 near the Ebola River in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Since then, ebolaviruses have emerged periodically and infected people in several African countries.

Ebola disease is caused by an infection with one of a group of viruses, known as ebolaviruses, that are found primarily in sub-Saharan Africa. Although Ebola disease is rare, people can get the disease through contact with an infected animal (bat or nonhuman primate) or a sick or dead person infected with an ebolavirus. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the Ebola vaccine, ERVEBO^®, for the prevention of Ebola disease. ERVEBO vaccine has been found to be safe and protective against only the Zaire ebolavirus species of ebolavirus.