Marburg virus disease begins with a high fever, severe headache and severe malaise. There are no vaccines or antiviral treatments approved to treat it. However, treatments like rehydration with oral or intravenous fluids and treatment of specific symptoms improve survival rates.
On 21 March, the Republic of Tanzania declared its first-ever outbreak of Marburg virus disease (MVD) after identifying eight confirmed cases in the Bukoba district, Kagera region, north western Tanzania. There have been five reported deaths—including a healthcare worker, while three are receiving treatment at designated treatment centres. 161 people have been identified and are being monitored.
Marburg virus is transmitted to people from fruit bats and spreads among humans through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people, surfaces and materials. The virus spreads between people through close contact only after they show symptoms. It cannot be detected before patients are symptomatic and is transmitted through infected body fluids like blood. MVD is not airborne. The incubation time, or time between infection and the onset of symptoms, ranges from two to 21 days and typically falls between five and ten days.
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