The world's deadliest cave Kitum, located in Kenya's Mount Elgon National Park, could cause the next pandemic, a report in Science times. The cave turned out to be home to some of the deadliest viruses in human history. The Ebola virus and the Marburg virus are said to have started there. Now experts worry that the next pandemic may occur here: the Marburg virus. The World Health Organization has issued a warning saying the Marburg virus is 'epidemic sensitive'.
According to the report, Marburg is a “highly virulent disease causing hemorrhagic fever.” The disease reduces the functional capacity of the body and damages the cardiovascular system. With a mortality rate of up to 88 percent, the virus is related to the virus that causes Ebola. Fruit bats, which are widespread in Central Africa, can also spread the virus from person to person through contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person. In addition, the disease can be spread to other people by touching towels or other objects that have come into contact with an infected person.
It is striking that the virus needs at least three weeks to 'incubate' before a patient starts to show symptoms. However, the warning signs are largely similar to those of malaria and Ebola. Several people infected with the virus develop sunken eyes and expressionless faces. It can also cause bleeding from the vagina, eyes, nose and gums in later stages. Unfortunately, there are no vaccines available against the virus and doctors treat the symptoms with medications and fluids.
Meanwhile, a French engineer working at a nearby sugar factory came into contact with the body-melting Marburg virus in 1980 while investigating Kitum Cave. He soon died in a hospital in Nairobi. The man's rapid deterioration from viral hemorrhagic, or bloodletting, fever was described in a book on the case as “as if the face were detaching from the skull,” with his face appearing to hang from the underlying bone as the connective tissue dissolved. Years later, a Danish boy on vacation with his family fell victim to the deadly caves. He also died from a similar hemorrhagic virus called Ravn.
The important salty minerals discovered in the cave have attracted not only elephants but also buffalo, antelope, leopards and hyenas from western Kenya, making Kitum a breeding ground for zoonotic infections, the researchers said. The 180-meter-deep cave has been continuously dug and expanded by elephants, but disease-carrying bats have made it their home. Science times report added.