Kazakhstan enhances control measures in response to the Marburg virus outbreak
Kazakh Healthcare Ministry is strengthening control over the epidemiological situation, following the World Health Organization’s warning of the first confirmed Marburg virus disease outbreak in Rwanda, announced country’s Chief State Sanitary Doctor Sarkhat Beissenova on Oct. 7.
Marburg is a highly virulent disease that can result in hemorrhagic fever, impacting both humans and other primates. The virus is naturally present in bats and can be transmitted from bats to humans.
According to the Healthcare Ministry, the natural reservoirs of Marburg fever are primarily located in Southern, Western, and Central Africa, specifically in countries such as South Africa, Gabon, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Guinea, Zimbabwe, and Kenya.
Symptoms of the disease may appear between 2 to 21 days after infection.
Due to the high rate of migration within the population, the Kazakh ministry recommends that citizens traveling to endemic countries take specific precautions. These include avoiding contact with infected individuals, being cautious around wild animals in African jungles, avoiding undercooked meat from local wildlife, steering clear of caves and mines where Egyptian bats—known asymptomatic carriers of the virus—are prevalent, seeking medical assistance promptly if symptoms arise, and maintaining good personal hygiene practices.
Beissenova stated that the Healthcare Ministry is actively monitoring the epidemic situation related to the Marburg virus. Sanitary and quarantine controls are being enforced at international airports.
