Outbreak panic erupts as eye-bleeding virus 'ground zero' is exposed

"For the first time, cameras in Africa captured a 'dynamic network' of wildlife interacting with thousands of infected bats believed to be carrying the Marburg virus, which is a rare but extremely dangerous disease that belongs to the same family as Ebola. The new videos revealed at least 14 different types of animals, including leopards, hyenas, monkeys, birds and rats, actively hunting herds of Egyptian fruit bats."

"Over five months, researchers monitored the cave, documenting 261 instances of animals interacting directly with infected bats or entering the cave, as well as at least 400 visits by tourists, students, and local workers. They said these recordings, including some showing predators walking off with dead bats in their mouths, provide potential proof of how the virus 'spills over' occurs, causing Marburg to mutate from bats to animals and then possibly to people."

"Marburg causes a severe illness which leads to symptoms including a high fever, severe headaches, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhea and internal bleeding. The virus has killed up to 88 percent of those infected during prior outbreaks and makes people's eyes, gums and other parts of the body bleed. That mortality rate is even higher than Ebola, which kills roughly half of those infected."

Researchers captured video evidence from Python Cave in Uganda showing at least 14 different animal species, including leopards, hyenas, monkeys, birds, and rats, actively hunting Egyptian fruit bats carrying the Marburg virus. Over five months, 261 direct interactions between animals and infected bats were documented, along with 400 human visits. These recordings provide the first visual evidence of how Marburg virus spills over from bats to other animals and potentially to humans. The virus causes severe illness with symptoms including high fever, severe headaches, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and internal bleeding, with mortality rates reaching 88 percent. No approved vaccines or specific treatments exist, though supportive care can improve survival rates.

Read at Mail Online