April 7, 2023 – The CDC issued a health alert about an outbreak of Marburg virus disease in two African countries, Equatorial Guinea and Tanzania. Although the disease has not been seen within the United States, doctors should “be aware of the possibility of imported cases,” the agency warned.
Infection with the virus is rare but might be fatal. If U.S. health officials imagine someone is infected with the Marburg virus, they need to check the person's travel history and isolate the person until a negative test result is out there, the CDC said.
The Marburg virus, which has similarities to Ebola, is just not contagious until symptoms appear, the CDC said. Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle and joint pain, fatigue, lack of appetite, intestinal symptoms or unexplained bleeding.
The disease is spread through contact with blood and other bodily fluids of an infected person, not through the air. The fatality rate is 23 to 90 percent, but that rate might be reduced with intensive supportive care, in response to the CDC.
There is not any FDA-approved vaccine against Marburg. At a recent press conference, the World Health Organization announced that Marburg vaccine trials were underway and a committee had reviewed evidence for 4 vaccines.
On February 7, health officials in Equatorial Guinea reported a cluster of deaths in two villages, the CDC said. Then, on March 21, Tanzanian health officials announced an outbreak with eight laboratory-confirmed cases, five of which resulted in death. There is not any evidence that the outbreaks are related, the CDC said.
About a month ago, the CDC sent medical personnel to Equatorial Guinea and Tanzania to combat the outbreaks and warned US travelers Taking precautions, akin to avoiding sick people in those countries.