The Rwandan Minister of Health, Sabin Nsanzimana, has revealed that they are embarking on vaccine trials for the Marburg virus, which has killed at least 12 health workers.
On Sunday, October 6th, 2024, Minister Nsanzimana said the Rwanda Biomedical Centre had reviewed the vaccine shipment after receiving 700 doses of the vaccine from the Sabin Vaccine Institute, a US-based non-profit organization.
“Most at risk are doctors, and those who have come in contact with Marburg patients will be the initial target for the vaccine, and as of now, we have at least 46 cases. This is the first time the virus has been found in the country, and its source is still unknown,” Nsanzimana said.
Nsanzimana also called upon Rwandese not to worry about the ongoing health concerns about the vaccine, as trials had already been held in Kenya and Uganda.
The highly infectious disease is similar to Ebola, with symptoms including fever, muscle pains, diarrhoea, vomiting, and, in some cases, death through extreme blood loss.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), on average, the Marburg virus kills half of the people it infects. Previous outbreaks were known to have killed between 24% and 88% of those infected.
The Rwandan health ministry further said there were 46 confirmed cases, with 29 of them in isolation. Health authorities have identified at least 400 people who came into contact with confirmed cases of the virus.
Rwanda declared an outbreak of Marburg on Sept. 27 and reported six deaths a day later. Authorities said at the time that the first cases had been found among patients in health facilities. There is still no confirmation of the source of the outbreak.
In a bid to combat the virus, Rwandan authorities have restricted funeral sizes for the victims of the virus and plans to introduce travel restrictions along with temperature checks, passenger questionnaires, and hand-sanitizing stations at departure points.