Infectious Disease Experts Break Down Exactly What the Marburg Virus Is—and How Worried We Should Actually Be
That depends.
In case you needed anything else to tritely say you didn't have on your 2023 bingo card, enter Marburg virus and Marburg virus disease (MVD). Just weeks ahead of President Joe Biden ending the emergency declaration around the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a warning about an outbreak of the Ebola-adjacent virus in Tanzania and Equatorial Guinea.
Authorities were first informed of the Equatorial Guinea outbreak in February, while the Tanzanian outbreak was announced in late March.
If you're worried about another potential pandemic, read on—but also know that you probably don't need to lose much sleep over this particular issue (so far, anyway).
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What Is the Marburg Virus?
Marburg virus disease is a rare but potentially fatal disease caused by two zoonotic viruses (viruses spread from humans to animals and vice versa).
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Is the Marburg Virus Related to Ebola?
This is where a lot of fear comes from because the answer to this question is yes—but just like you are not just like your relatives (which is a big relief for some of us!), Marburg and Ebola aren't the same.
"They are both members of the filovirus family and can both cause viral hemorrhagic fever," Dr. Andrew Pavia, MD, infectious disease specialist at Intermountain Healthcare tells Parade. "They are caused by two different viruses."
To put it into more perspective, Syracuse University public health professor Dr. Brittany Kmush, Ph.D., explains, "Marburg virus and Ebola virus are separate genus and species. To get a better idea of how related Marburg and Ebola are, humans are in the Hominidae family, which also includes the great apes."
What Are the Symptoms of the Marburg Virus?
The symptoms of the Marburg virus aren't exactly fun—according to Dr. Kmush, the first signs and symptoms commonly are:
Sudden onset of high fever
Headache
Chills
Fatigue
Malaise
Many other patients may also have:
Rash
Nausea
Vomiting
Diarrhea
After a few days of the fever, symptoms may progress to:
Severe swelling throughout the body, including the brain
Shortness of breath
Confusion
Delirium
Apathy
These may progress to hemorrhagic symptoms, which include:
Bloody stools
Easy bruising
Blood leakage
Vomiting blood
"After a week or two, people either start to recover or continue to get worse with decreased awareness, blood clotting disturbances and coma," Dr. Kmush says. "If these symptoms are present, the person usually does not survive."
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Is the Marburg Virus Contagious?
There is good news and bad news here. The Marburg virus is contagious, but you're still far less likely to catch it than you are, say, COVID-19 or even the flu.
"Marburg virus is considered extremely contagious," Dr. Dele Ogunseitan, professor of Population Health and Disease Prevention at the University of California Irvine, says. "However, infected individuals are usually not contagious before they start showing symptoms. The virus is spread from person to person through contact with body fluids, saliva, blood, semen, vomit, breast milk and feces. The virus is not known to be spread through the air."
The place you may be most likely to contract the Marburg virus disease is actually in a healthcare setting, Dr. Pavia says, but it's preventable if correct measures are taken, including wearing hospital gowns and gloves and washing your hands frequently.
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Is the Marburg Virus Treatable?
While there is no official treatment for Marburg virus disease, Dr. Ogunseitan notes that fluid replacement therapy and supportive care can help patients.
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Is There a Marburg Virus Vaccine?
There is no FDA-approved vaccine for Marburg disease yet, but Dr. Ogunseitan says that the World Health Organization has been conducting ongoing trials for potential vaccine candidates.
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Should You Be Worried About the Marburg Virus?
Experts are a bit divided on how much sleep we should lose over the Marburg virus.
Dr. Kmush warns, "Americans should be worried about [the] Marburg virus. We live in a global world and viruses can quickly spread throughout the world. It is important that we invest more in treatment and prevention strategies for viruses like [the] Marburg virus before they cause an outbreak."
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However, Dr. Pavia disagrees.
"In general, currently the risk of Marburg virus disease in the United States is low," Dr. Pavia says. "However, if you are traveling to a region where the Marburg virus is more common or causing an outbreak, it is good to be aware and consult with a travel medicine clinic before going."
Next up: CDC Warns Parents About 'Invasive' Illness Affecting Children
