Outbreak of Ebola-Like Marburg Virus in Rwanda Has Killed 8 People
By Carole Tanzer Miller HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, Oct. 1, 2024 -- A rare, highly contagious Ebola-like virus has claimed eight lives in Rwanda, and U.S. health officials are closely monitoring the outbreak.
Marburg virus causes a rare hemorrhagic fever that has no authorized vaccine or treatment.
No cases related to the Rwanda outbreak have been reported in the United States, and the current risk to Americans is low, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement issued Monday.
"Marburg is a rare disease," Rwanda's Health Minister, Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana, told journalists Sunday night, the Associated Press reported. "We are intensifying contract tracing and testing to help stop the spread."
Rwanda first declared an outbreak on Friday.
So far, 26 cases have been confirmed, the AP reported. The first six deaths occurred Saturday. Most of those affected are healthcare workers in six districts of the central African nation.
Like the better-known Ebola virus, Marburg originates in fruit bats. It spread between people through close contact with bodily fluids of infected individuals or contaminated surfaces such as bed sheets.
Without treatment, Marburg can be fatal in up to 88% of cases, according to the AP.
Some 300 Rwandans who had contact with people confirmed to have the virus have been identified. An unspecified number have been put into isolation.
A person exposed to Marburg may develop symptoms anywhere from three days to three weeks later. Symptoms include muscle pains, fever, diarrhea, vomiting and, sometimes, extreme blood loss.
The CDC has had a presence in Rwanda since 2002. Among other things, it works with the Rwandan government to investigate disease outbreaks.
The CDC is deploying special experts to assist with ongoing probe and response to the Marburg outbreak.
Marburg virus was first identified in 1967 after causing simultaneous disease outbreaks in laboratories in Marburg, Germany and Belgrade, Serbia. Seven people exposed to the virus while conducting animal research died.
The World Health Organization said outbreaks of the disease and individual cases have previously been recorded in Tanzania, Equatorial Guinea, Angola, Congo, Kenya, South Africa, Uganda and Ghana.
Sources
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, news release, Sept. 30, 2024
- Associated Press
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted October 2024
Read this next
California Gives $25 Gift Cards To Boost Bird Flu Testing
FRIDAY, April 25, 2025 — Health officials in California are now offering gift cards to encourage folks near farms to get tested for bird flu. The project is a partnership...
Federal COVID Websites Now Promote Lab Leak Theory
TUESDAY, April 22, 2025 — The Trump administration has replaced two major federal websites for COVID information with a new page that promotes the theory that the virus came...
Vaccine Panel Urges More Protection Against RSV, Meningitis and Chikungunya
THURSDAY, April 17, 2025 — A panel of federal health experts on Wednesday recommended expanded vaccine options for several diseases, including respiratory syncytial virus...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.