Marburg virus disease: the paradox of Nigeria’s preparedness and priority effects in co-epidemics

Abstract

Background The recent outbreaks of Marburg virus disease (MVD) in Guinea and Ghana have become a major public health concern not only to the West African sub-region but a threat to global health. Main body of the abstract Given the poorly elucidated ecological and epidemiological dynamics of the Marburg virus, it would be imprudent to preclude the possibility of another pandemic if urgent efforts are not put in place. However, the prior emergence and impact of COVID-19 and other co-occurring epidemics may add ‘noise’ to the epidemiological dynamics and public health interventions that may be required in the advent of a MVD outbreak in Nigeria. Short conclusion Paying attention to the lessons learned from previous (and current) multiple epidemics including Avian Influenza, Yellow fever, Ebola virus disease, Monkeypox, Lassa fever, and COVID-19 could help avoid a potentially devastating public health catastrophe in Nigeria.

Recent report of novel Marburg virus disease (MVD) outbreak across the world

“…The Marburg virus (MARV), a member of the Filovirus family of RNA viruses, causes a severe haemorrhagic fever known as Marburg virus disease (MVD), which can be lethal with casefatality ratio (CFR) of up to 88% in both humans and nonhuman primates [1] .…”

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Dear Editor,The Marburg virus (MARV), a member of the Filovirus family of RNA viruses, causes a severe haemorrhagic fever known as Marburg virus disease (MVD), which can be lethal with casefatality ratio (CFR) of up to 88% in both humans and nonhuman primates [1] .According to the most recent reports, Equatorial Guinea has been infected with an unknown, fatal haemorrhagic fever; as a consequence, neighbouring Cameroon has restricted border crossings in an attempt to control the disease [2] . On February 13, 2023, young males and females, both 16 years old, with no known exposure to Equatorial Guinea's endemic areas, were screened for the virus.

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First‐ever Marburg virus disease outbreak in Equatorial Guinea and Tanzania: An imminent crisis in West and East Africa

“…Infectious illness epidemiology dynamics are complicated and heavily influenced by shifts in a variety of biological, demographic, environmental, and socioeconomic factors 15 . People have been forced to invade previously uninhabited land for agricultural and mining activities due to an increasing population and the demand for resources.…”

Marburg virus disease is a looming threat in the Republic of Guinea

“…Seventy percent of these instances have been caused by deadly new viruses, placing a heavy pressure on healthcare infrastructure. Overall living standards have dropped as a result [16] . Three years of viral epidemics in Africa, including measles, polio, Lassa fever, dengue, and yellow fever, had already taxed the inadequate healthcare system when the COVID-19 pandemic struck [24,25] .…”

“…The current epidemiological investigation has not yet identified the cause of the outbreak 15 . There were four Marburg virus outbreaks in Uganda in 2007, 2012, 2014, and 2017 with the CFR ranging from 27 to 100% 16,17 . According to the WHO, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Guinea, Uganda, Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, and South Africa have previously reported outbreaks of MVD https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/marburg-virus-disease.…”