Rwanda’s Minister of State for Health, Dr. Yvan Butera, announced that human contact with bats at a cave associated with the Marburg virus disease outbreak has been fully restricted. Speaking at an October 31 media briefing hosted by Africa CDC on Marburg and Mpox outbreaks, Butera highlighted that containment and surveillance efforts remain rigorous, especially at the outbreak site believed to be linked to fruit bats.
The Ministry of Health reported that genetic sequencing of the virus confirmed a single zoonotic event, meaning the virus jumped from animals to humans just once, with no further animal hosts involved. This finding has been crucial in understanding the source and limiting further spread.
Measures to contain #Marburg are ongoing in #Rwanda, with over 1,600 people vaccinated and more doses expected. Surveillance remains strong, including close monitoring of the outbreak site linked to fruit bats believed to be the source of the #outbreak, said Minister of State for… pic.twitter.com/111unLb3xB
— Africa CDC (@AfricaCDC) November 1, 2024
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the first case, or “index case,” involved a male between 20 and 30 years old who had been exposed to a bat-infested mining cave. Health authorities traced his exposure to a specific cave known for hosting fruit bats, which are natural carriers of the Marburg virus. Dr. Butera noted that stringent demarcations around this site have since been established to eliminate further risk to humans.
“We have created a secure boundary where these bats reside, eliminating human access,” Butera stated, responding to questions on Rwanda’s efforts to contain the virus. In a previous conference on October 24, Rwanda’s Minister of Health, Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana, confirmed that all mining operations in the affected area were suspended.
Butera also mentioned that authorities have mapped out other potential sites where similar fruit bats may reside as part of a comprehensive One Health initiative, which involves collaboration with various agencies to reduce human-animal transmission risks.
The Marburg virus, part of the same family as the Ebola virus, causes a hemorrhagic fever that is often fatal. Infection can occur when people come into close contact with Rousettus bats, a species of fruit bat typically found in caves and mines. Rwanda has so far recorded 66 cases, including 49 recoveries and 15 deaths, resulting in a fatality rate of about 23 percent.
In a significant boost to Rwanda’s containment efforts, the US-based Sabin Vaccine Institute announced on October 31 that an additional 1,000 doses of an investigational Marburg vaccine would be shipped to the country. This collaboration aims to protect approximately 1,000 high-risk individuals, such as mine workers, through a single-dose vaccine administered under protocols established by the Rwanda Biomedical Center.
The WHO notes that Marburg virus disease has an average case fatality rate of about 50 percent, though rates in past outbreaks have ranged from 24 to 88 percent.
