NHS medics are racing to assist Rwanda in tackling its first Marburg virus outbreak.
Ten specialised doctors, nurses, and humanitarians deployed by the UK Emergency Medical Team through UK-Med are now on the ground. Their swift response shows the commitment of the British Government, UK-Med, and the NHS to handling global health emergencies.
Marburg virus is a rare but severe disease, similar to Ebola, that can cause serious illness and death from severe blood loss. It has a fatality rate ranging from 20-90 percent.
Since the outbreak was declared on 27 September, the virus has resulted in the deaths of 15 people, with 66 confirmed cases reported. Health workers account for approximately 80% of confirmed cases.
Kate White, Emergency Health Response Coordinator from York, explained: “Marburg virus is an extremely dangerous disease, it can cause death within eight or nine days after exposure and the impact on families, communities and health care workers is severe, as Rwanda has seen. We are here to support the Rwandan Ministry of Health in their fight against this disease.
“By providing critical pre-hospital care and case management support, the UK EMT will support local health workers who are bearing the brunt of the outbreak.”
Dr Victoria Parris, an infectious disease specialist who normally works for the NHS in London, said: “We are here to support local health staff to help control the spread of this deadly virus, and to assist them in ensuring health services function normally so that people can continue to receive essential and life-saving services such as intensive care whilst the outbreak is ongoing.
“We will work with ambulance services to support the efficient dispatch of ambulances according to needs. We’ll also support healthcare workers and patients to stay safe by providing on-the-job training in decontamination and hygiene practices for local health staff.”
Funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO), the multinational team of clinicians includes an emergency doctor, paramedic, and nurses specialised in providing intensive care and infection prevention and control. In cooperation with the Rwandan Ministry of Health, they will spend six weeks supporting local hospitals and healthcare facilities in Kigali, Rwanda’s capital, where most cases of MVD have been reported.
MVD is spread through contact with the bodily fluids of infected animals or people, and symptoms can appear suddenly and can include fever, rash and severe bleeding. As it advances symptoms can become more severe, including liver failure, shock, and multi-organ dysfunction.
For interviews with medics, both those currently deployed in Rwanda and those who have returned, contact UK-Med’s media team at media@uk-med.org.
Notes to Editors
- While there is no licensed treatment for Marburg virus, the use of monoclonal antibody therapy in a Randomised Control Trial has commenced in Rwanda; management includes supportive care including intensive care support, and treatment of secondary infections.
- UK-Med provides the UK EMT, the nation’s frontline medical response to health emergencies overseas.
- With a roster of more than 1,000 NHS and international medics, UK-Med draws on NHS staff from trusts across the UK to support its emergency responses. Its teams are ready to respond to global health crises at a moment’s notice, 24/7, 365 days a year.
- The number of clinicians deployed at any one time from the NHS is very small, representing a small proportion of the total NHS workforce. Clinicians joining a UK-Med response either take annual leave or study leave, to ensurethat NHS service delivery is not interrupted. In some circumstances, funders such as FCDO will pay for their regular roles to be backfilled to ensure there is no additional pressure on the NHS.
