African health chief criticizes U.S. travel advice

High African well being official Jean Kasea mentioned it was “unfair” for U.S. officers to advise towards non-essential journey to Rwanda as a consequence of an outbreak of the lethal Marburg virus.

The top of the Africa Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (Africa CDC) added that this was “not the remedy Rwanda and Africa deserve”.

In simply two weeks, 13 folks have died from the illness in Rwanda, most of them well being care staff, in accordance with a press release from Rwanda’s well being minister.

However authorities mentioned the epidemic was beneath management.

Nonetheless, these on the entrance strains coping with its penalties are nervous.

“What scares you most? [is] “Once you see folks in the identical occupation die,” mentioned Maria (pseudonym), an intensive care nurse at a hospital in Rwanda’s capital, Kigali.

Maria spoke on situation of anonymity as a result of she feared she would lose her job if she spoke publicly.

“I stored telling myself that I could be subsequent, that perhaps I examined constructive however did not have any signs but,” mentioned the 46-year-old nurse and mom.

She instructed the BBC that a number of of her colleagues had fallen in poor health and have been being handled in isolation, and that multiple colleague had died from the virus. She described the extraordinary stress staff on the facility face on daily basis.

In response to the World Well being Group (WHO), on common half of individuals contaminated with Marburg virus die. Fruit bats are reservoirs for the virus, which is unfold from individual to individual by means of contact with contaminated physique fluids akin to sweat, urine and blood.

Whereas a Marburg virus vaccine has not but been accepted, Rwanda has begun trials utilizing a vaccine offered by the U.S. non-profit Sabin Institute.

It has vaccinated 200 folks, prioritizing well being care staff and contacts of confirmed instances, and plans to develop vaccinations as extra doses arrive.

The Africa Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention additionally offered 5,000 Marburg virus detection kits to Rwanda and neighboring international locations to strengthen cross-border surveillance.

Maria has not but been vaccinated however is decided to proceed working.

“I am a nurse, I am on the entrance strains and now we have to struggle this, however the worry is all the time there,” she mentioned.

German authorities closed components of Hamburg Central Station amid considerations in regards to the unfold of the virus to Europe, days after a medical pupil and his companion fell in poor health after a go to to Rwanda. Each ultimately examined unfavourable for Marburg virus.

The U.S. Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention has issued its second-highest degree journey advisory to Rwanda, advising folks to keep away from non-essential journey to Rwanda because of the outbreak.

Rwanda’s neighbors, Tanzania, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, have all had instances in Marburg previously and have stepped up border surveillance to forestall the unfold of the illness.

Burundi went a step additional and established emergency remedy and isolation facilities to arrange for an outbreak.

The Africa Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention says it’s enhancing public well being emergency coaching to assist employees reply extra successfully to the Marburg outbreak.

Rwandan authorities have taken steps to restrict attendance at funerals of virus victims to 50 folks to assist curb the unfold of the illness.

As well as, they’ve applied passenger questionnaires, hand washing stations at departure factors and temperature checks at entry and exit factors throughout the nation.

Rwanda’s well being minister mentioned the outbreak was primarily concentrated in a cluster of instances within the capital.

“In several departments, you will see that there are only a few employees engaged on shifts,” mentioned a second nurse, Claire, who additionally requested to not be named. She works at one other hospital in Kigali.

“I misplaced somebody I knew; I misplaced an expensive colleague at one other hospital,” she mentioned.

Rwandan authorities say early identification of Marburg virus instances is especially difficult as a result of it initially shows comparable signs to malaria, which is quite common within the area.

Well being Minister Sabin Nsanzimana mentioned the nation was exercising an abundance of warning and was conducting mass testing of anybody with excessive fever, headache, vomiting and muscle aches. All amenities the place well being staff have examined constructive for the virus have stopped visiting.

Marburg virus is carefully associated to Ebola, which killed greater than 11,000 folks in West Africa between 2014 and 2016, in accordance with the World Well being Group.

Based mostly on what it has realized from the outbreak and in partnership with the World Well being Group and the Africa Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention, Rwanda mentioned it’s responding shortly with strict well being measures, elevating public consciousness and offering well being staff with protecting tools. and isolate confirmed instances.

Rwanda obtained 5,100 vials of remdesivir, an antiviral drug made by Gilead Sciences that was used towards Ebola previously, to assist struggle the virus.

Whereas trial vaccinations are underway, a second nurse the BBC spoke to has additionally not but obtained the vaccine.

“I hope issues will get higher quickly… some vaccines have arrived, which supplies us some hope,” she mentioned.