As of March 21st, there are now two, seemingly distinct Marburg virus outbreaks. On February 13th, a Marburg virus outbreak was confirmed in Equatorial Guinea and On March 21st an outbreak was declared in Tanzania. The Marburg virus is in the same family as the Ebola virus (both are filoviruses) and has a fatality rate up to 88%. As of March 3rd, there have been 11 epidemiologically linked deaths, including 1 for which samples tested positive for Marburg virus. In Tanzania, 5 deaths have been reported and 3 more individuals are receiving treatment. While this is the first Marburg virus outbreak in both Equatorial Guinea and Tanzania, outbreaks of Marburg virus disease (MVD) have been seen since 1967 including in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Uganda, Kenya, and Angola. More recently, outbreaks have occurred in Guinea in 2021 and in Ghana in 2022. The suspected cases in Equatorial Guinea are linked to attending a funeral, a high risk practice when filoviruses are suspected. In both countries, it is still unclear where the initial infection took place. Marburg virus causes a type of viral hemorrhagic fever with symptoms similar to Ebola virus. The virus is carried by bats and humans can get infected by coming into contact with secretions from bats, non-human primates, or other humans infected with the virus. There is currently no vaccine for Marburg virus, but several are in development or undergoing clinical trials. There is no specific treatment approved for MVD, although candidates are in development or testing, but appropriate supportive care to ensure a patient is hydrated, able to breathe, and has limited blood loss can result in better outcomes.
Inchara Raj is a medical student at University Texas of Medical Branch/John Sealy School of Medicine. She enjoys writing about medical and humanities topics and medical education.
Sources:
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-00468-5
https://www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk/news/newsdetail.aspx?id=24419
https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/marburg/treatment/index.html
https://www.afro.who.int/countries/united-republic-of-tanzania/news/tanzania-confirms-first-ever-outbreak-marburg-virus-disease