Thus far, Rwanda has confirmed the presence of 64 cases of Marburg virus disease, a type of viral hemorrhagic fever. This virus is transmitted to humans from fruit bats and spreads from one individual to another through human-to-human transmission.
According to the WHO, common symptoms of the virus include muscle aches and pains, abdominal pain and cramping, severe watery diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, and a non-itchy rash. The disease has a case fatality ratio of up to 88%, with an average fatality rate of about 50%. Experts note that early symptomatic treatment and supportive care with rehydration improves survival.
While the risk of infection in America remains low, specialists at Mass General Brigham have partnered with the Regional Emerging Special Pathogens Treatment Center to support healthcare centers in ensuring that patients who’re being assessed for this viral disease receive crucial lab tests.
To help, the experts developed a toolkit that could be used in healthcare facilities across America. The kit is comprised of a base plan which outlines how to gather, process and report lab test results from viral hemorrhagic fever suspects.
It also offers guidance on infection control and prevention, occupational health practices, and waste management. A paper on the toolkit was recently published in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology.
The Division of Infectious Diseases and Department of Pathology’s co-lead author at Massachusetts General Hospital, Dr. Sarah E. Turbett, explained that early identification and isolation of individuals presenting with signs and symptoms of Marburg virus was crucial for both healthcare personnel and patient safety.
Given that diagnostic capacity was necessary for patient assessment, she said it was necessary for hospitals to have a practical plan of action for providing care to any patient who was suspected to have Marburg virus disease.
This toolkit, she noted, provides scalable and generalizable resources to facilitate action plan development. Dr. Jacob E. Lazarus, co-lead author of the Division of Infectious Diseases, added that being unprepared when handling lab samples for patients with possible viral hemorrhagic fevers wasn’t an option.
Dr. Erica S. Shenoy, senior author of the same division at the institution, noted that effective and safe care relied on the diagnostic capacity of every frontline facility. She added that they were hopeful the tools provided could strengthen local efforts of preparedness.
The Regional Emerging Special Pathogens Treatment Center offers resources and tools for healthcare organizations to ensure appropriate preparedness and readiness for disease-causing pathogens.
The increasing threat posed by emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases around the world creates a need to come up with different ways to treat patients diagnosed with these diseases. Companies like Scinai Immunotherapeutics Ltd. (NASDAQ: SCNI) venturing into the development of immunotherapies targeting different infectious diseases offer hope that these diseases could soon be effectively managed.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Scinai Immunotherapeutics Ltd. (NASDAQ: SCNI) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/SCNI
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