Yesterday (Friday) and yesterday (Saturday), Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain called on their citizens to avoid and postpone travel to Tanzania and Equatorial Guinea after monitoring the outbreak of the "Marburg" virus.
In Saudi Arabia, an official source in the Public Health Authority (Weqaya) stated that, in reference to what was announced by the health authorities in the Republic of Equatorial Guinea and the United Republic of Tanzania regarding monitoring an outbreak of Marburg virus disease, “prevention” recommends avoiding traveling to the Republic of Equatorial Guinea and the United Republic of Tanzania. Until the disease is under control, and advises those present there to follow the preventive measures issued by the Ministry of Health and the Public Health Authority, and to follow the instructions of the local health authorities.
The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement: "We urge the citizens of the country who are there to take caution and follow the safety instructions issued by the competent authorities."
In Kuwait, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement posted on Twitter, called on its citizens to avoid traveling to Tanzania and Equatorial Guinea, noting that this was based on the recommendations of the Gulf Center for Disease Prevention and Control and the recommendations of the Ministry of Health.
While the Bahrain News Agency reported that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on all citizens not to travel at the present time to the Federal Republics of Tanzania and Equatorial Guinea, in order to ensure their safety and preserve their health, stressing the need to follow advice and instructions when needing to travel.
Marburg virus belongs to the same family of viruses as the Ebola virus, and causes similar symptoms, most notably fever, muscle pain, kidney and liver dysfunction, and sometimes internal and external bleeding, according to the World Health Organization.
Marburg is transmitted between humans through direct contact with the blood or secretions of an infected person, or by contact with contaminated surfaces and other materials. The death rate from the virus is very high, and there are currently no approved vaccines or treatments for Marburg virus disease.
Okaz (Jeddah) @okaz_online