The cave became home to one of the deadliest viruses in human history.
Kitum, the world’s deadliest cave in Kenya’s Mount Elgon National Park, could be the cause of the next epidemic, according to a report in Science Times. The cave became home to one of the deadliest viruses in human history. Ebola virus and Marburg virus were reported to have originated there. Now, experts worry that it could be home to the next pandemic—the Marburg virus, with the World Health Organization issuing a warning, stating that the Marburg virus was a “pandemic threat.”
According to the report, Marburg is a “highly viral disease that causes dengue fever.” The disease reduces the functional capacity of the body and damages the cardiovascular system. With a fatality rate of up to 88 percent, the virus is related to the virus that causes Ebola. Fruit bats, which are widespread throughout Central Africa, can also spread the virus from person to person through contact with the body fluids of an infected person. In addition, touching towels or other objects that have been in contact with an infected person can spread the disease to other people.
Specifically, it takes at least three weeks for the virus to “incubate” before a patient begins to show symptoms. However, the warning signs are mostly similar to malaria and Ebola. Many people infected with the virus develop deep-set 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 for the virus and doctors treat the symptoms with drugs and fluids.
Meanwhile, in 1980, while investigating Kitam Cave, a French engineer working at a nearby sugar mill was exposed to the body-melting Marburg virus. He died soon after in a hospital in Nairobi. The man’s rapid decline from viral hemorrhagic or blood-letting fever was described in a book about the case as “as if the face were separating itself from the skull,” with connective tissue dissolving along his face. with seems to hang from the lower bone. Years later, a Danish boy on vacation with his family falls victim to deadly caves. He also died of a similar hemorrhagic virus known as Raven.
Researchers said the significant saline minerals found in the cave have attracted not only elephants but also buffalo, deer, leopards and hyenas from western Kenya, making Kitum a breeding ground for zoonotic infections. The 600-foot-deep cave is constantly being dug and expanded by elephants, only to be made home by disease-carrying bats. Science Times Report added.
