First Marburg Virus Disease Outbreak in the Republic of Rwanda

The Republic of Rwanda reported it’s first confirmed outbreak of Marburg virus disease (MVD) with 36 laboratory confirmed cases and 11 deaths reported as of October 2, 2024, including at least 19 cases in healthcare workers.
MVD is a rare but highly fatal viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF) related to Ebola. Symptoms may include fever, headache, muscle and joint pain, fatigue, loss of appetite, gastrointestinal symptoms, or unexplained bleeding. Marburg virus is spread through direct contact with the body fluids of someone who is sick with MVD, or who recently died from their infection.  People can also contract MVD if they have contact with infected animals (primarily bats), or with needles, or with other objects or surfaces contaminated with the virus. Marburg virus is not spread through airborne transmission.

No vaccine or treatments are currently available to prevent or treat MVD.

Health Care Workers or volunteers in areas of transmission are at high risk and need to take strict precautions.

The European CDC offers the following advice for travelers to Rwanda:

Travellers to Rwanda should be made aware of the ongoing outbreak in Rwanda and the affected areas and follow the advice of the local health authorities.  They should do what they can to avoid situations that put them at risk, including:

  • Avoid contact with anyone exhibiting MVD symptoms (like fever, vomiting, diarrhoea or bleeding) or contact with materials and surfaces contaminated by the bodily fluids of infected persons, including after death or during burial.

  • Avoid visiting healthcare facilities in MVD-affected areas for non-urgent medical care or non-medical reasons.

  • Avoid habitats that may be populated by bats, such as caves or mines, as well as any form of close contact with wild animals, including monkeys, forest antelopes, rodents, and bats, both alive and dead, and manipulation or consumption of any type of bushmeat.

No confirmed cases of MVD related to this outbreak have been reported in the United States or other countries outside of the Republic of Rwanda to date. According to the US CDC, the risk of MVD in the United States is low.

 

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