April 7, 2023 – The CDC has issued a health advisory about an outbreak of the Marburg virus disease in two African nations, Equatorial Guinea and Tanzania. While it has not been found in the United States, doctors “should be aware of the potential for imported cases,” the agency warned.
Marburg virus, which is similar to Ebola, is not contagious until symptoms appear, the CDC said. Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle and joint pain, fatigue, loss of appetite, gut symptoms, or unexplained bleeding.
The illness is spread through contact with blood and other bodily fluids of an infected person, not through the air. It has a mortality rate of 23% to 90%, though these rates may go down with intensive supportive care, according to the CDC.
On Feb. 7, Equatorial Guinea health officials 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 which resulted in death. There’s no evidence the outbreaks are related, the CDC said.
About a month ago, the CDC sent medical personnel to Equatorial Guinea and Tanzania to battle the outbreaks and warned U.S. travelers to take precautions, such as avoiding sick people in those nations.