UPDATE: Initial tests on patient with suspected Marburg virus in Valencia prove negative

The initial tests on a patient displaying symptoms of the Marburg virus in the Valencian Community have come back negative.

Saturday, February 25 at 5:45pm

According to the Ministry of Health, the initial PCR tests carried out on samples taken from a 34-year-old man who displayed symptoms of the Marburg virus have so far ruled out the disease.

Samples were sent to the Carlos III Health Institute in Madrid after he was admitted to the La Fe Hospital in Valencia.

“The results are encouraging, but new tests will have to be carried out in about two days to definitively rule out the case. A first negative in the initial phase of symptoms does not allow the disease to be completely ruled out”, explained Salvador Peiro, an epidemiologist at the Foundation for the Promotion of Health and Biomedical Research of the Valencian Community.

His samples also proved negative for Ebola the Ministry added. The patient will remain isolated at the medical facility while further tests are analysed, as reported by elpais.com.

Saturday, February 25 at 00:02am

The Spanish Ministry of Health announced this Friday evening, February 24, that the safety protocol has been initiated in the Valencian Community. It has been activated because of a suspected case of a person suffering from the deadly Marburg virus.

They pointed out that the patient’s biological samples have been sent to the reference laboratory of the Carlos III Health Institute in Madrid for possible confirmation of the case, as reported by lasprovincias.es.

A 34-year-old man was found to be displaying symptoms compatible with the disease. He apparently visited Equatorial Guinea during a period of time that could correspond to the incubation and development of the disease.

The patient has been transferred from a private hospital and subsequently admitted to the High-Level Isolation Unit of the La Fe University and Polytechnic Hospital in Valencia. This should guarantee both his own personal safety as well as that of the health professionals who will be treating him.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Marburg virus is a disease with a case-fatality ratio of up to 88 per cent. This can be much lower with good patient care. Marburg virus disease was initially detected in 1967 after simultaneous outbreaks in Marburg and Frankfurt in Germany, and in Belgrade, Serbia.

Marburg and Ebola viruses are both members of the Filoviridae family (filovirus). Though caused by different viruses, the two diseases are clinically similar. Both diseases are rare and have the capacity to cause outbreaks with high fatality rates.

___________________________________________________________

Thank you for taking the time to read this article. Do remember to come back and check The Euro Weekly News website for all your up-to-date local and international news stories and remember, you can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.