ASTANA – Kazakh Healthcare Ministry is strengthening control over the epidemiological situation, following the World Health Organization’s warning of the first confirmed Marburg virus disease outbreak in Rwanda, announced country’s Chief State Sanitary Doctor Sarkhat Beissenova on Oct. 7.
The Healthcare Ministry is closely following the epidemic situation with the Marburg virus. Photo credit: depositphotos.com
Marburg is a highly virulent disease that can cause hemorrhagic fever, affecting both humans and other primates. The virus is found in nature in bats and can be transmitted from bats to humans.
According to the Healthcare Ministry, natural foci of Marburg fever are the countries of Southern, Western and Central Africa: South Africa, Gabon, Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Guinea, Zimbabwe, and Kenya.
Clinical manifestations of the disease appear 2-21 days after infection with the virus.
Given the population’s high migration rate, the Kazakh ministry recommends that when visiting endemic countries, Kazakhstan citizens avoid contact with infected people, beware of wild animals that live in the African jungle, do not eat undercooked meat of local animals, do not visit caves and mines where a large number of Egyptian bats live – asymptomatic carriers of the virus, immediately seek medical help if signs of illness appear, and observe the rules of personal hygiene.
According to Beissenova, the Healthcare Ministry is closely following the epidemic situation with the Marburg virus. Sanitary and quarantine control is carried out at international airports.
