Marburg Virus Hitting Rwanda Physicians Hard As Country Begins Administering Vaccine Doses

October 07, 2024

The New York Times (10/5, Hurtes, Mugabo) reported “Rwanda’s fragile health care system could become overwhelmed by the deadly Marburg virus,” physicians “fear, because most of those currently infected are medical professionals, and some have already died.” Since “last month, at least 30 medical workers have been infected, and at least four have died.” Among the infected individuals “are two of the country’s scarce anesthesiologists.” According to the Times, “more medical staff members are isolated in hospital wards in the capital, Kigali.” Reuters (10/6, Girinema) reports, “Rwanda said on Sunday it had begun administering vaccine doses against the Marburg virus to try to combat an outbreak of the Ebola-like disease in the east African country, where it has so far killed 12 people.” Health Minister Sabin Nsanzimana said, “The vaccination is starting today immediately.” Nsanzimana “said the vaccinations would focus on those ‘most at risk, most exposed healthcare workers working in treatment centres, in the hospitals, in ICU, in emergency, but also the close contacts of the confirmed cases.’” The AP (10/6, Ssuuna) reports Rwanda “received 700 doses of a vaccine under trial from the U.S.-based Sabin Vaccine Institute on Saturday.” Nsanzimana told reporters “that the Rwanda Biomedical Centre had reviewed the vaccine shipment.”