Raising awareness of Marburg virus disease

In Ho Chi Minh City, the health sector has also implemented prevention and control activities to detect early and promptly treat cases of the disease.

Dr. Le Hong Nga, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control, said that the disease caused by the Marburg virus is classified as group A in the Law on Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases. Since February, after receiving warnings from the World Health Organization and the Ministry of Health, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health has developed a plan to organize surveillance, early detection, and prepare human resources and materials to receive and treat cases such as: regularly monitoring flights from countries with recorded cases of Marburg virus, issuing notices to screen suspected cases for hospitals, training medical staff and conveying disease prevention messages to the people, etc.

At Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, the last-line unit with the highest capacity to receive cases of Marburg virus, upon receiving the request from the Ministry of Health, the unit immediately activated the process of monitoring, early detection and prevention of the spread of Marburg virus disease throughout the entire hospital.

Specifically, the Hospital Board of Directors has requested departments and rooms that are capable of receiving patients infected with Marburg virus such as: Emergency Department, Examination Department, Tropical Diseases Department to increase vigilance, early detection of cases through exploiting epidemiological history and clinical symptoms. In which, epidemiological factors are traveling from West Africa or having contact with suspected or confirmed cases without using appropriate personal protective equipment. Clinical symptoms of suspected cases are high fever, chills, severe headache, muscle pain, rash, most prominent on the body (chest, back, abdomen), nausea, vomiting, chest pain, sore throat, abdominal pain and diarrhea, ... without fully explaining the clinical pathology by another cause. When detecting a suspected case, medical staff must immediately isolate the patient; use personal protective equipment to prevent transmission through contact and droplets; At the same time, immediately report to the General Planning Department, Infection Control Department and related departments and offices.

The Board of Directors of Cho Ray Hospital also requested to increase the cleaning of frequently touched surfaces (twice a day and when dirty) in the hospital. Departments that are able to receive patients with Marburg virus disease must prepare personal protective equipment: gowns or long-sleeved aprons, gloves, masks, shields, and use personal protective equipment when in contact with suspected cases.

Dr. Phung Manh Thang, Head of the Infection Control Department, Cho Ray Hospital, said that the Marburg virus is not a new virus, first discovered in 1976 in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Over time, this virus has caused outbreaks in West African countries. The Marburg virus hosts fruit bats and is transmitted to humans through contact and droplets. The disease can be transmitted between people. This virus is very dangerous, can cause bleeding, multiple organ failure with a mortality rate of up to 80%. "Fortunately, the transmission of this virus is lower because it is not transmitted through the air like SARS-CoV-2," said Dr. Phung Manh Thang.

According to Dr. Thang, the Marburg virus is one of the six Ebola virus families, and there is currently no vaccine to prevent or specific treatment. Most patients are only given supportive care, electrolyte replacement, or blood transfusions when they have bleeding. The incubation period of the Marburg virus is 3 weeks, so medical staff at medical facilities need to be vigilant and when there are suspicious symptoms with epidemiological factors, the patient must be immediately isolated for early diagnosis, identification, and treatment.

To prevent this, Dr. Phung Manh Thang recommends that people should detect early, avoid contact with wild animals that are at risk of carrying pathogens, especially fruit bats, avoid eating raw wild animals, cook food thoroughly, drink boiled water, and wash hands regularly. People should also avoid contact with people suspected of having the disease, people returning from West African countries. If you suspect you are infected with the virus, you should go to a medical facility early for examination, diagnosis, and timely treatment to avoid danger to your life and limit the spread to the community.

According to VNA