Marburg virus disease

Marburg virus disease is a severe and highly fatal disease caused by a virus from the same family as the one that causes Ebola virus disease. Both viruses are native to Africa, where sporadic outbreaks have occurred for decades.

History

Marburg virus disease was first recognized in 1967, when outbreaks of hemorrhagic fever occurred simultaneously in laboratories in Marburg and Frankfurt, Germany and in Belgrade, Yugoslavia (now Serbia). A total of 31 people became ill, including laboratory workers as well as several medical personnel and family members who had cared for them. The first people infected had been exposed to African green monkeys or their tissues. In Marburg, the monkeys had been imported for research and to prepare polio vaccine.

Transmission

Marburg virus is transmitted to people from fruit bats and spreads among humans through human-to-human transmission. The Marburg virus is transmitted through close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected animals. In humans, the Marburg and Ebola viruses, both members of the Filoviridae family, have been known to be transmitted through contact with infected bodily fluids.

Symptoms

The onset of the disease is sudden, with high fever, severe headache, muscle pain and chills. By the fifth day, a rash can occur. Nausea, vomiting, chest pain, a sore throat, abdominal pain, and diarrhea then may appear. Symptoms become increasingly severe and may include jaundice, inflammation of the pancreas, severe weight loss, delirium, shock, liver failure, and multi-organ dysfunction.

Treatment

There is no specific treatment for Marburg virus disease. Patients are given supportive care, which includes balancing the patient’s fluids and electrolytes, maintaining their oxygen status and blood pressure, and treating them for any complicating infections.

Prevention

Prevention includes reducing the risk of wildlife-to-human transmission and human-to-human transmission. Health-care workers caring for patients with suspected or confirmed Marburg virus should apply infection prevention and control measures to prevent contact with patients’ blood, fluids, or contaminated surfaces or materials such as clothing and bedding.

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