By NewsDesk  @infectiousdiseasenews

In a follow-up on the first Marburg Virus Disease outbreak case reported in Guinea, country health officials declared the end of the outbreak having recorded no new cases over the past 42 days.

Marburg Virus Disease
Marburg virus virions/CDC

Only one case—the index patient who was diagnosed with the virus posthumously—was recorded and more than 170 high-risk contacts monitored for 21 days.

The virus was confirmed on 9 August, marking the first time the disease emerged in the country and in West Africa.

“Without immediate and decisive action, highly infectious diseases like Marburg can easily get out of hand. Today we can point to the growing expertise in outbreak response in Guinea and the region that has saved lives, contained and averted a spill-over of the Marburg virus,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.

In Africa, previous outbreaks and sporadic cases have been reported in Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, South Africa and Uganda.