close
close

What you should know about the Ebola-like Marburg virus amid the false alarm outbreak in Germany

Topline

Officials confirmed on Wednesday that suspected German cases of the deadly Marburg virus have tested negative following fears that the Ebola-like virus is spreading to the European country, as experts in several African countries struggle to contain the highly contagious virus after Rwanda became the latest country to declare a spreading outbreak last week.

Important facts

Marburg is a highly contagious viral hemorrhagic fever that belongs to the same family as Ebola.

According to the WHO, the virus is initially transmitted to humans by flying foxes and spreads among humans through contact with the body fluids of infected people.

The illness begins suddenly and symptoms include high fever, muscle pain, bleeding, severe headache, diarrhea and vomiting blood.

Marburg causes severe illness and can be fatal, with mortality rates in previous outbreaks ranging from 24% to 88% depending on the strain of the virus and the quality of care provided.

There are no approved vaccines or treatments to treat the virus – some are in early stages of development – but supportive measures such as rehydration and treating specific symptoms can improve outcomes.

Experts recommend people not eat or touch bushmeat – or cook it thoroughly before eating it – and avoid caves and mines where bats may be present to minimize the risk of contracting and spreading the virus.

News Peg

There were concerns that the Marburg virus could spread to Germany after two healthcare workers who had previously been in Rwanda were suspected of having the disease. However, German officials confirmed on Wednesday that both had tested negative. A new outbreak was reported in Rwanda last Friday, and the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said most of the confirmed cases were among health care workers. Rwanda has registered at least 11 deaths and about 30 Marburg cases as of Monday, the country's health ministry said on Tuesday. Previous outbreaks have been recorded in African countries such as Tanzania, Kenya, South Africa, Ghana and Angola.

Important background

Marburg is an extremely rare but serious disease. African flying foxes are the natural hosts of the virus – they show no obvious signs of illness – but it sometimes spreads to primates, including humans, and has devastating effects. The cave-dwelling bat is widespread throughout Africa and many previous outbreaks have been traced to people working in mines where the bats live. The CDC says more research is needed to determine whether other species also harbor the virus. The virus was first identified in 1967 after several simultaneous cases linked to infected laboratory monkeys were detected in the German cities of Marburg and Frankfurt, as well as the then capital of Yugoslavia, Belgrade. Since then, there have been several outbreaks of Marburg virus disease, notably in Angola in 2004–2005 and in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1998–2000, which killed hundreds of people. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that diagnosing Marburg virus disease “can be difficult” because many signs and symptoms are similar to other infectious diseases such as malaria or typhoid, or other hemorrhagic fevers such as Lassa or Ebola.

tangent

Tanzania announced its first outbreak of Marburg virus disease in late March, reporting eight cases, including five deaths. The announcement comes a month after Equatorial Guinea confirmed its own Marburg outbreak, a first for the West African country. New information released by the WHO at the end of March suggests that the outbreak in Equatorial Guinea is significantly larger than previously thought and that the gap between cases suggests “larger transmission of the virus.” To date, nine cases have been confirmed by laboratory tests, including seven deaths, and there are 20 “probable cases.” The WHO said it considers the risk of national spread to be “very high” for both countries but described the risk of global spread as “low.” But the agency said the risk of international spread “cannot be ruled out,” noting that porous borders are often crossed. The outbreak comes months after Ghana reported It was the first-ever Marburg outbreak, only the second time the disease had been discovered in West Africa, and after Cameroon discovered two suspected cases of the Ebola-like disease.

What you should pay attention to

Although there are no specific treatments or vaccines on the market for Marburg, some are in development. The WHO has suggested that treatments and vaccines approved or in testing for use in Ebola patients could also be used in Marburg patients, given the similarities between the two diseases and the lack of options for Marburg. Researchers at the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases reported promising results from an early clinical trial for a Marburg vaccine in January and plan to expand trials to Ghana, Kenya, Uganda and the United States. After an urgent meeting to outline and guide research prioritizing the outbreak in the face of the outbreak, WHO said it was coordinating efforts to establish a standard of care for Marburg patients as quickly as possible and supporting research efforts into possible treatments and vaccines.

What we don't know

It is not clear whether the Marburg outbreaks in Tanzania and Equatorial Guinea are related. Dr. Ahmed Ogwell Ouma, acting director of the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said telegraph The agency plans to genetically sequence virus samples to determine whether they are related.

Further reading

The virus, the bats and us (NYT)

The Hot Zone (Richard Preston)

Deadly Ebola-Like Marburg Virus Discovered in Equatorial Guinea (Forbes)

You may also like...