Marburg virus disease outbreak amidst COVID-19 in the Republic of Guinea: A point of contention for the fragile health system?

Okonji, Osaretin Christabel; Okonji, Emeka Francis; Mohanan, Parvathy; Babar, Maryam Salma; Saleem, Amna; Khawaja, Uzzam Ahmed; Essar, Mohammad Yasir; Hasan, Mohammad Mehedi

doi:10.1016/j.cegh.2021.100920

Cited by 30 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 16 publications

(18 reference statements)

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“…To reduce hospital-acquired infections which include sepsis, COVID-19 and the spread of AMR, while reducing healthcare costs, [ 7 , 14 , 15 ]we recommend the development of behavioural and system interventions that promote maternal health care workers’ adherence to set infection prevention measures that clearly define sepsis.…”

Section: Conclusion and Recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Sepsis is the third-leading cause of maternal death with over 95% of maternal sepsis deaths occurring in developing countries [ 5 , 6 ]. Non-pregnant adult populations are also at risk [ 7 ], particularly those who are immuno-suppressed, including people living with the HIV virus [ 8 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Amid the global coronavirus pandemic, emerging evidence warns that the most serious complications of COVID-19 include sepsis [ 9 – 13 ]; and COVID-19 reinforces the need to improve sepsis care [ 13 ]. With the emergence of COVID-19, epidemics such as Ebola, Marburg virus disease, Lassa fever, malaria, dengue and measles have also re-emerged in several Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) [ 7 , 14 – 17 ]. The treatment of these epidemics has been challenging for health systems due to the similarity in the presentation of the disease to COVID-19, thereby making misdiagnosis likely.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…On the contrary, there are no similar integrated disease management approaches that have been adopted to prevent and manage re-emerging epidemics thereby causing a delay in the treatment as the health care workforce has been focused on containing the COVID-19 pandemic [ 7 ]This is worsened by the minimal financing that many LMICs allocate to the health sector. COVID-19’s impact on the management of other epidemics has been very evident.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Effective treatment and management of epidemics requires robust and strong disease surveillance systems but these are underdeveloped in LMICs. Often, all efforts are redirected to the most current epidemic thereby making tracing of other infectious diseases problematic which can contribute to disease spread and misdiagnosis and control of suspected cases [ 7 , 31 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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On prioritising global health’s triple crisis of sepsis, COVID-19 and antimicrobial resistance: a mixed-methods study from Malawi

Kawale

Kalitsilo

Mphande

et al. 2022

BMC Health Serv Res

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Sepsis causes 20% of global deaths, particularly among children and vulnerable populations living in developing countries. This study investigated how sepsis is prioritised in Malawi’s health system to inform health policy. In this mixed-methods study, twenty multisectoral stakeholders were qualitatively interviewed and asked to quantitatively rate the likelihood of sepsis-related medium-term policy outcomes being realised. Respondents indicated that sepsis is not prioritised in Malawi due to a lack of local sepsis-related evidence and policies. However, they highlighted strong linkages between sepsis and maternal health, antimicrobial resistance and COVID-19, which are already existing national priorities, and offers opportunities for sepsis researchers as policy entrepreneurs. To address the burden of sepsis, we recommend that funding should be channelled to the generation of local evidence, evidence uptake, procurement of resources and treatment of sepsis cases, development of appropriate indicators for sepsis, adherence to infection prevention and control measures, and antimicrobial stewardship.

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Section: Conclusion and Recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

On prioritising global health’s triple crisis of sepsis, COVID-19 and antimicrobial resistance: a mixed-methods study from Malawi

Kawale

Kalitsilo

Mphande

et al. 2022

BMC Health Serv Res

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The recent outbreaks of Marburg virus disease in African countries are indicating potential threat to the global public health: Future prediction from historical data

Idbaïh

Salsabil

Hossain

et al. 2023

Health Science Reports

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Marburg virus disease (MVD) caused by the Marburg virus has a high mortality rate. Rousettus aegyptiacus fruit bats act as the natural reservoir host of the virus. But it can also potentially be transmitted from person to person through direct contact with body secretions. The recent outbreaks have already killed seven people out of nine confirmed cases in Equatorial Guinea and five patients out of eight confirmed cases in Tanzania. In the recent past, Ghana reported three MVD cases and two associated deaths in 2022. Specific treatments or vaccines are unavailable for MVD, and supportive care is the primary treatment option. The history of MVD outbreaks and the current scenario show its potential to become an emerging threat to global public health. The recent outbreaks in Tanzania and Equatorial Guinea have already caused a high fatality rate. The absence of effective treatment and vaccines raises concerns about the potential to cause widespread harm. Besides, its capacity for human‐to‐human transmission and potential to cross the country's border could result in a multicountry outbreak. Therefore, we recommend intensive surveillance of MVD, preventative measures, and early detection to limit the spread of the disease and prevent another pandemic.

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The neglected continuously emerging Marburg virus disease in Africa: A global public health threat

Srivastava,

Kutikuppala,

Shanker

et al. 2023

Health Science Reports

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Background and AimSevere viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF) is caused by Marburg virus which is a member of the Filoviridae (filovirus) family. Many Marburg virus disease (MVD) outbreaks are reported in five decades. A major notable outbreak with substantial reported cases of infections and deaths was in 2022 in Uganda. The World Health Organisation (WHO) reported MVD outbreak in Ghana in July 2022 following the detection of two probable VHF patients there. Further, the virus was reported from two other African countries, the Equatorial Guinea (February 2023) and Tanzania (March 2023). There have been 35 deaths out of 40 reported cases in Equatorial Guinea, and six of the nine confirmed cases in Tanzania so far.MethodsData particularly on the several MVD outbreaks as reported from the African countries were searched on various databases including the Pubmed, Scopus, and Web‐of‐science. Also, the primary data and reports from health agencies like the WHO and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC) were evaluated and the efficacy reviewed.ResultsChiroptera in general and bat species like Rousettus aegyptiacus and Hipposideros caffer in particular are natural reservoirs of the Marburg virus. MVD‐infected nonhuman primate African fruit‐bat and the MVD‐infected humans pose significant risk in human infections. Cross‐border viral transmission and its potential further international ramification concerns raise the risk of its rapid spread and a potential outbreak. Occurrence of MVD is becoming more frequent in Africa with higher case fatality rates. Effective prophylactic and therapeutic interventions to counter this deadly virus are suggested.ConclusionIn the face of the lack of effective therapeutics and preventives against MVD, supportive care is the only available option which contributes to the growing concern and disease severity. In view of the preventive approaches involving effective surveillance and monitoring system following the “One Health” model is extremely beneficial to ensure a healthy world for all, this article aims at emphasizing several MVD outbreaks, epidemiology, zoonosis of the virus, current treatment strategies, risk assessments, and the mitigation strategies against MVD.

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Marburg virus disease outbreak amidst COVID-19 in the Republic of Guinea: A point of contention for the fragile health system?

Cited by 30 publications

References 16 publications

On prioritising global health’s triple crisis of sepsis, COVID-19 and antimicrobial resistance: a mixed-methods study from Malawi

On prioritising global health’s triple crisis of sepsis, COVID-19 and antimicrobial resistance: a mixed-methods study from Malawi

The recent outbreaks of Marburg virus disease in African countries are indicating potential threat to the global public health: Future prediction from historical data

The neglected continuously emerging Marburg virus disease in Africa: A global public health threat

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