Rwanda's Marburg fever deaths rise to 11 as its source is being investigated
Health authorities say Marburg hemorrhagic fever has killed 11 people in Rwanda
KIGALI, Rwanda (AP) — Marburg hemorrhagic fever has killed 11 people in Rwanda, health authorities said Thursday, as the East African country searches for the source of an outbreak first traced among patients in health facilities.
There are 36 confirmed cases of the disease that manifests like Ebola, with 25 of them in isolation, according to the Rwandan government's latest update.
Rwanda declared the outbreak 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 and that an investigation was underway “to determine the origin of the infection.”
The source remains unclear, raising contagion fears in the small central African nation. Isolating patients and their contacts is key to stopping the spread of viral hemorrhagic fevers like Marburg.
