Spain Detects 1st Suspected Case of Marburg Disease

Spain has detected its first suspected case of the Marburg virus, a deadly infectious disease that has put more than 200 people in isolation in Equatorial Guinea, authorities in the Spanish province of Valencia said Saturday.

The health authorities in the region said a 34-year-old person who visited Equatorial Guinea recently was transferred from a private hospital to an isolation unit in a hospital in Valencia, adding that he was undergoing medical examinations.

The World Health Organization (WHO) stated that the death rate due to infection with the Marburg virus can reach 88%. There is no vaccine or antiviral treatment approved yet.

Equatorial Guinea has placed more than 200 people in quarantine so far and limited the movement of citizens on February 13 in Kie-Ntem province, where infections first appeared with the virus, which causes hemorrhagic fever.

The WHO stated that the small Central African country has so far reported 9 deaths and 16 suspected cases of infection with the virus, and symptoms of infection included fever, fatigue, vomiting with blood, and diarrhea.