As Rwanda battles an outbreak of the highly lethal Marburg virus, an experimental vaccine is being deployed, marking the country’s first step in combating the deadly pathogen. Health Minister Nsanzimana Sabin announced that frontline workers, including doctors and nurses most exposed to the virus, would be the first recipients of the vaccine.
The Marburg virus, akin to Ebola, is a contagious hemorrhagic fever with an 88% fatality rate. First detected on September 28, the virus has already claimed 12 lives, many of whom were healthcare professionals. Rwanda’s health authorities have received 700 doses of the experimental vaccine from the Sabin Vaccine Institute, a US-based organization that is currently conducting phase 2 trials. The vaccine has already been tested in Kenya and Uganda with no reported safety issues, and additional doses are expected to be ordered in the coming days.
“We are prioritizing the protection of those most at risk,” Sabin said. “This is a crucial step in controlling the outbreak and protecting those who are essential to the fight.”
Rwanda’s Development Board also announced strict travel measures on Sunday, implementing temperature checks, health questionnaires, and hand sanitization stations at travel points to reduce transmission risk. Fruit bats, natural hosts of the virus, are believed to have spread Marburg to humans, making the outbreak an international concern due to the virus’s extreme virulence and lack of approved vaccines or treatments.
Research on possible therapies is ongoing, including immunological, pharmacological treatments, and blood products, but much remains experimental at this stage. The country remains on high alert as the number of confirmed cases reaches 41, and international support grows in the effort to halt further spread.
