Rwandan authorities have implemented new restrictions on funeral sizes as part of measures to contain the country’s first-ever outbreak of the Marburg virus, a highly contagious and deadly disease. The virus, confirmed by Rwanda’s health ministry on Friday, has already claimed the lives of eight people.
Marburg, part of the same virus family as Ebola, has a fatality rate of up to 88%. It spreads to humans from fruit bats and then between people through direct contact with bodily fluids of infected individuals.
In its latest guidelines, Rwanda’s health ministry announced that funerals for victims of the virus must be limited to a maximum of 50 attendees. The government also emphasized that “normal business and other activities” can continue but urged the public to avoid close contact with anyone showing symptoms such as fever, headaches, muscle aches, vomiting, and diarrhea.
To further curb the virus’s spread, hospital patients are now prohibited from having visitors for 14 days and will only be allowed one caregiver at a time. This step addresses the common practice in many developing countries where family members assist with basic care duties usually performed by nurses elsewhere.
Rwanda’s health minister noted that most of the early victims were healthcare workers from an intensive care unit in Kigali, where most cases have been reported. Authorities are intensifying contact tracing, surveillance, and testing efforts to contain the outbreak. As of Sunday, officials were monitoring around 300 individuals who had contact with confirmed cases.
Rwandans have been urged to maintain strict hygiene practices, such as frequent hand washing, to prevent further spread of the virus, which can cause death through severe blood loss.
This marks the first confirmed Marburg outbreak in Rwanda. Neighboring Tanzania reported a similar outbreak in 2023, while Uganda experienced fatalities in 2017.
