By Nebal Snan and Agencies

KUWAIT: Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry has warned Kuwaitis against traveling to Tanzania and Equatorial Guinea following reports of new Marburg virus outbreaks in the two countries. The two countries are facing their first-known outbreaks of the highly virulent disease, which causes a fever with uncontrollable bleeding. The virus is a close cousin to the Ebola virus and has a fatality rate of up to 88 percent, depending on the strain of the virus and the quality of care provided.

Here is some of what we know about the disease so far. How is Marburg virus transmitted? According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the virus is transmitted to people from fruit bats and spreads among humans through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people, surfaces and materials. What are the symptoms for Marburg virus disease?

The early symptoms of infection include severe headache, high fever, weakness and muscle pain, said Kuwait’s Health Ministry Spokesperson Dr Abdullah Al-Sanad in a press statement. Illness caused by Marburg virus begins abruptly and could be accompanied by headaches, says WHO. May patients develop severe hemorrhagic symptoms within seven days. Late onset symptoms include: nausea, vomiting, severe abdominal pain, severe diarrhea and blood in the vomit or stool, said Sanad. Are there any known cases in Kuwait?

There are no known cases in Kuwait, in Gulf Cooperation Council countries or the Middle East, according to Sanad. In Equatorial Guinea, there have been at least nine laboratory-confirmed cases, seven of which resulted in death, and 20 probable cases of dead individuals in the outbreak, which was first identified last February. Tanzania confirmed its first-ever case on March 21.

Health officials are investigating a total of eight cases, five of whom have died, and they have identified a total of 161 contacts who are being monitored. Can we get a vaccine against Marburg virus? No, there are no vaccines or antiviral treatments approved to treat the virus. But the WHO says supportive care – rehydration with oral or intravenous fluids – and treatment of specific symptoms, improves survival. A range of potential treatments, including blood products, immune therapies and drug therapies, as well as candidate vaccines with phase 1 data are being evaluated.

What’s the risk of spread? The WHO said it considers the risk of spread to be “very high” in Tanzania and Equatorial Guinea but described the risk of global spread as “low.” The agency said the risk of international spread “cannot be ruled out”. Sanad said risk levels are low in Kuwait due to the “scarcity of travel and the absence of direct flights” from and to the countries struggling with the outbreak.