MOSCOW, February 16. /TASS/. Russia’s Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing (Rospotrebnadzor) has stepped up sanitary and quarantine control due to an outbreak of the Marburg virus in Equatorial Guinea, the agency said in a statement posted on its website on Thursday.
"Rospotrebnadzor has issued instructions to strengthen sanitary and quarantine control using the Perimeter automated information system installed at all checkpoints across the state border of the Russian Federation," the statement said.
The Marburg virus is transmitted to humans from fruit bats. It is spread among people by direct contact with biological fluids of sick people, surfaces and materials.
The Russian sanitary watchdog added that the Marburg virus was one of the most dangerous viruses in the world. It noted that there were nine deaths and 16 suspected cases of the diseasee in Equatorial Guinea. "Rospotrebnadzor suggests taking this information into account when planning trips abroad and choosing countries that are epidemiologically safe," the agency specified.
The fatality rate of the Marburg disease ranges from 24% to 88%, depending on the strain of the virus and treatment methods.