Saudi Arabia advises citizens against travelling to these two African countries

RIYADH - Saudi Arabia’s Public Health Authority has called on people to avoid traveling to two African countries over health concerns.

The authority named Weqaya has advised citizens against travelling to Guinea and Tanzania due to Marburg virus.

The authorities have stressed that those who are already in these two countries should follow-up on the preventive measures issued from the Ministry of Health and Weqaya and should also comply with the guidelines issued by local health authorities.

An official source in Weqaya stated that the travel advice was based on observations and findings of health authorities of Guinea and Tanzania.

Weqaya, however, confirmed that the virus does not spread through the air, highlighting that there are two ways of transmission of the virus i.e from human to human, or from animal to human.

As far as the incubation period of the virus is concerned, Weqaya stated that symptoms will appear between 2 to 12 days after exposure to the virus and the initial symptoms from 1 to 5 days will include loss of appetite, weakness, pain in the body such as back and abdomen, sudden fever, diarrhea, and severe headache.

The follow-up or late symptoms of the virus are nausea, bleeding, skin rash, diarrhea or bloody stools, blood coming out from the nose or mouth, or any place where the skin is injured.

What is Marburg Virus

Marburg virus disease (MVD), formerly known as Marburg haemorrhagic fever, is a severe, often fatal illness in humans for which the average case fatality rate is around 50%.

Case fatality rates have varied from 24% to 88% in past outbreaks depending on virus strain and case management. As per WHO guidelines, early supportive care with rehydration, and symptomatic treatment improves survival.

At present, there is no licensed treatment proven to neutralize the virus, but a range of blood products, immune therapies and drug therapies are currently under development.

The Marburg virus is transmitted to people from fruit bats and spreads through human-to-human transmission via direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected people, and with surfaces and materials (e.g. bedding, clothing) contaminated with these fluids.

Illness caused by Marburg virus starts abruptly, with high fever, severe headache and severe malaise while muscle aches and pains are a common feature. Severe watery diarrhoea, abdominal pain and cramping, nausea and vomiting can begin on the third day while Diarrhoea can persist for a week.