Addis Ababa/Kigali, Nov 1 (IANS): Rwanda is heading in "a good direction" in its efforts to contain the deadly Marburg virus disease, with only four confirmed cases reported in the last two weeks, a senior Rwandan health official has said.

During a special online media briefing on Thursday, held alongside officials from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) to discuss the multi-country monkeypox outbreak in Africa and the Marburg virus disease outbreak in Rwanda, Yvan Butera, Rwandan minister of state in the Ministry of Health, said the country has so far confirmed 66 Marburg virus disease cases.

With four confirmed cases reported during the last two weeks, Butera said: "the trend is leaning toward fewer and fewer cases being detected over time, and in terms of death as well."

He said since the beginning of the outbreak, the country has recorded 15 Marburg virus disease-related deaths, with a case fatality rate of 22.7 per cent.

"The priority is rapid detection, rapid testing, quick isolation and treatment of positive cases, along with widespread infection prevention control measures ... all of which contribute to what we are seeing right now, a well-controlled outbreak," Butera said.

He further affirmed Rwanda's commitment to contributing to the global knowledge pool of Marburg and similar public health threats. "Consider Rwanda as a resilient and innovative partner in global health, more particularly in global health security, as some of these diseases have a potential of becoming a bit serious for many more people," he said.

Despite progress in containing the spread of the virus, the Rwandan minister stressed that the outbreak is not yet over, highlighting the need to further continue the positive trend and boost response efforts, Xinhua news agency reported.

"It is not yet time to declare victory, but in terms of the numbers that we are seeing, the number of contacts that are being followed up and the positivity rates that we are seeing, I think we are headed in a good direction," Butera said.

The Marburg virus disease outbreak, which was first declared in Rwanda on September 27, marks the country's first outbreak of the virus, which also coincides with Rwanda's ongoing response to a multi-country outbreak of monkeypox.

Marburg virus disease is a severe and often fatal hemorrhagic illness transmitted from fruit bats to humans. Human-to-human transmission occurs through direct contact with an infected person's bodily fluids or contaminated materials. There is currently no vaccine or specific treatment for the virus. Infection prevention and control protocols similar to those used for Ebola are essential to limiting its spread.