The East African Community (EAC) Secretariat has called for a swift and coordinated regional response to contain the ongoing Marburg Virus Disease (MVD) outbreak declared in Rwanda. The outbreak poses a serious threat to regional health security and requires urgent action from all EAC Partner States to prevent its spread across borders.

On 27 September 2024, Rwanda’s Ministry of Health declared the Marburg Virus Disease (MVD) outbreak, and as of 30 September 2024, there were 29 confirmed cases and 10 deaths, with more than 297 contacts under close monitoring. Healthcare workers have been disproportionately affected.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has raised concerns about the potential regional spread of the disease due to confirmed cases in districts near the borders of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Uganda and Tanzania.

Andrea Aguer Ariik Malueth, the EAC deputy secretary-generalo for infrastructure, productive, social and political sectors, issued a strident appeal.

“There is an urgent need for a coordinated regional response to contain the spread of this highly infectious virus through swift identification, isolation and treatment of cases, as well as enhanced screening at borders and health facilities,” he said in a statement.

Partner states need to strengthen their public awareness and infection control protocols, including handwashing, avoiding physical contact with symptomatic individuals, and enhancing surveillance at borders and health facilities, he specified.

The marburg virus is a severe zoonotic disease, similar to Ebola, and is associated with a high fatality rate that varies from 24 percent to 88 percent depending on the virus strain and case management. Transmission occurs through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected individuals or contaminated surfaces. As there is no specific vaccine or treatment, supportive care remains the main form of medical intervention.

Tanzania's previous experience with a marburg outbreak in the Kagera region in 2023 highlighted the importance of rapid contact tracing and community engagement. The EAC is urging the partner states to share lessons learned and technical expertise to inform ongoing response efforts. Meanwhile, Rwanda, recognised for its robust healthcare infrastructure, is currently managing the outbreak with international support, but the scale of the challenge underscores the need for regional collaboration.

Marburg symptoms typically include fever (often high), severe headache, muscle aches and pains, fatigue and weakness. Gastrointestinal symptoms such as severe diarrhoea, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and bleeding from various parts of the body may occur in the later stages of the disease.

To reduce the risk of contracting marburg, the public is advised to practice proper hand hygiene using soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitizers, avoid contact with fruit bats and their excretions (as these are considered the natural hosts of the virus), and practice safe burial practices to minimise exposure to bodily fluids of individuals who have died from MVD.

Individuals are also advised to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) when caring for infected individuals or handling animals that may be reservoirs of the virus, and to avoid contact with non-human primates in endemic areas, as these can also transmit the virus.

The EAC Secretariat, in collaboration with partners including the German development agency GIZ and its KfW financial wing, is supporting the partner states' response and preparedness efforts to the ongoing MVD and mpox outbreaks. It aims to further enhance pandemic preparedness efforts with a focus on improving regional resilience to health emergencies.

The major intervention areas include the development of a pool of rapidly deployable experts (RDE) to ensure the quick deployment of specialists in outbreak areas, as well as strengthening risk and crisis communication.

They also administer 43 water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities in border areas, prioritising the training of border staff and health workers.

Furthermore, the EAC Secretariat is supporting the partner states' laboratory testing capacities through the supply of diagnostic PCR kits for marburg virus (filoviruses) and mpox virus, facilitating the field deployment of existing mobile laboratories at strategic locations, and donating additional laboratory equipment such as sequencers.