The recorded cases of this haemorrhagic fever almost as deadly as Ebola have spread from the province of Kié-Ntem where it had caused the first known deaths on January 7, to reach Bata, the economic capital of this small Central African country, partly insular and the other continental.

This expansion "suggests a wider transmission of the virus" and requires "intensifying response efforts in order (...) to avoid a large-scale epidemic and loss of life," the WHO warned in a statement.

"Between March 11 and 20, eight cases were confirmed, six of whom died," the Equatorial Guinean government said on its website, without establishing a total toll since the beginning of the epidemic. The latest official death toll was 11 on 28 February.

"To date, there are 20 probable cases and 20 deaths," the WHO said, adding that the new cases are reported in the provinces of Kié-Ntem, Litoral and Centro Sur, all of which have international borders with Cameroon and Gabon.

The epidemic is now raging in three of the four continental provinces, from the east to the Atlantic Ocean. Bata, the port opening onto the Gulf of Guinea and populated by about 250,000 inhabitants, is "affected", according to the government.

The efforts of the authorities assisted by the WHO to contain the virus in Kié-Ntem have therefore not been enough. "Additional WHO experts (...) will be deployed in the coming days," the UN organization promises, adding that it "is also helping Gabon and Cameroon to strengthen preparedness and response to the epidemic."

Tanzania also announced Tuesday the start of a Marburg outbreak, with five deaths.

Uganda, which borders Tanzania, has asked health officials to increase their vigilance along the border.

In a letter sent Wednesday to health officials in all affected districts, Uganda's director general of health services, Henry Mwebesa, asked them "to start screening all passengers arriving at ports of entry" for symptoms, urging them to carry out his orders "with immediate effect."

Marburg © virus disease Alain BOMMENEL / AFP/Archives

The last outbreak of Marburg virus in Uganda was in 2017.

This virus is transmitted to humans by fruit bats and spreads in humans through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people, or with surfaces and materials. The case fatality rate can be as high as 88%.

There is no vaccine or antiviral treatment approved to treat the virus. However, supportive care – oral or intravenous rehydration – and treatment of specific symptoms increase the chances of survival.

A range of potential treatments, including blood products, immune therapies and drugs, as well as vaccine candidates with phase 1 data are being evaluated, according to WHO.

© 2023 AFP