Rwanda Implements Funeral Restrictions Amidst Marburg Virus Outbreak

Rwandan authorities have implemented restrictions on the size of funerals for those who have succumbed to the Marburg virus, in an effort to control the outbreak of the highly contagious disease. The Rwandan health ministry confirmed the nation’s first outbreak of the virus, reporting a total of eight fatalities as of Friday.

Marburg is a viral hemorrhagic fever from the same family as Ebola, with a mortality rate that can reach 88%. The virus is transmitted to humans via fruit bats and spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of those infected. To curb the spread, the Rwandan health ministry advised that no more than 50 people attend funerals of Marburg victims. “Normal business and other activities” may continue, as per a statement released Sunday, provided the public avoids close contact with symptomatic individuals.

Key symptoms include fever, headaches, muscle aches, vomiting, and diarrhea. The virus can cause death through severe blood loss. New health guidelines also prohibit hospital patients from receiving visitors for 14 days, and patients will only be allowed one caregiver at a time.

Most of the fatalities have been healthcare workers operating in intensive care units, according to Rwanda‘s health minister, as quoted on Saturday when the death toll was at six.

Dr. Nahid Bhadelia, the director of the Boston University Center on Emerging Infectious Diseases, expressed concerns on the BBC‘s Newsday programme. She pointed out that the majority of incidents are in Kigali, Rwanda’s densely populated capital, contrary to past outbreaks in more rural, containable settings. However, she noted Rwanda’s “better infrastructure and history of public health coordination” than many other countries as a positive factor.

Rwandan authorities are intensifying efforts in contact tracing, surveillance, and testing to manage the outbreak, actively monitoring around 300 individuals exposed to the virus. The public has been encouraged to maintain rigorous hygiene practices, such as frequent hand washing.

This marks the first recorded emergence of the Marburg virus within Rwanda. Neighboring Tanzania experienced an outbreak in 2023, and Uganda reported three fatalities from the virus in 2017.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been in communication with Rwandan health officials and has assured that no related cases have been identified in the United States. The CDC considers the risk of a Marburg infection reaching the U.S. public as low. Established in Rwanda in 2002, the CDC is deploying experts to assist in managing the current outbreak, drawing on their extensive experience in outbreak response across Africa.