An outbreak of Marburg virus has killed 13 people in Rwanda, with 58 more cases reported. Marburg virus is rare but can be severe and deadly to humans. People should avoid contact with animals in the outbreak area as well as avoid consuming bushmeat and avoid coming into contact with blood, body fluids, and contaminated items of infected patients.
Although Marburg virus can be fatal, it does not spread through the air like Covid-19, and this means it could be a little easier to avoid contact with it. In this Pacific Prime article, we have gathered what you need to know about this virus and how to avoid it.
What is Marburg Virus?
Marburg virus is a virus closely related to Ebola virus which has caused a widespread outbreak in West Africa over the years 2014-2016 with over 11,000 casualties. It was first known in 1967 after scientists in a German city of the same name became ill after handling infected monkeys from Africa.
Marburg virus is often rare but can cause severe and fatal illness in humans. The average case fatality rate of Marburg virus infection is around 50% but can fluctuate as high as 88% and as low as 24% in past outbreaks.
The virus is often found in bats and can affect both human and non-human primates such as monkeys and apes. In humans, the disease often spreads through people who have spent a long time in caves or mines populated by bats.
In recent years, Marburg virus outbreak usually occurs in sub-Saharan Africa such as in:
- Angola
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Equatorial Guinea
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Kenya
- South Africa
- Tanzania
- Uganda
The only outbreaks outside of Africa occurred in Germany and Serbia when the virus was first discovered in 1967.
Symptoms
Marburg virus symptoms often appear 2-21 days after a patient becomes infected with the virus. Some initial symptoms of Marburg virus infection include:
- High fever
- Chills
- Muscle aches and pain
- Severe headache
- Rash
- Chest pain
- Sore throat
- Nausea and vomiting
- Diarrhea
Once the disease has advanced, symptoms can include:
- Bleeding (hemorrhaging)
- Liver failure
- Delirium
- Shock
In fatal cases, severe blood loss and shock can lead to death within eight or nine days after the onset of the symptoms.
How It Spreads
Marburg virus often spreads from bats to humans through bats’ urine, feces, and saliva. Once the virus has been transmitted to people, people who are infected with it can spread it to other people through body fluids such as blood, saliva, semen, urine, and feces.
Contact with contaminated surfaces such as clothing or bedding of infected patients can also spread the disease.
Once recovered, patients’ blood and semen can remain infectious for several months after recovery.
The consumption of bushmeat such as monkeys, chimpanzees, and bats can also spread the virus as well as contact with dead or living infected animals.
Treatment for Marburg Virus
Currently, there are no specific treatments or vaccines for Marburg virus. Patients are treated according to their symptoms such as rest, hydration, oxygen and blood pressure management, and treatment for secondary infection.
However, early intensive supportive care can increase chances of survival.
How to Avoid Marburg Virus
Good hygiene and limiting contact with infected patients and animals are recommended measures to avoid Marburg virus.
Particularly, to avoid Marburg Virus, you should:
- Avoid contact with blood and body fluids of infected patients
- Avoid contact with contaminated objects or belongings of patients such as bed sheets or clothing
- Avoid direct touch with bodies of patients who have died from the virus
- Avoid contact with bats and non-human primates in outbreak areas including avoiding consuming or handling meat of infected animals
Good personal hygiene, including regularly washing your hands and cleaning your body, will be crucial to keep you safe from Marburg virus as well as other infectious diseases.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) especially recommends you to wash your hands during these occasions:
- Before, during, and after preparing food
- Before eating any food
- Before and after treating a cut or wound
- Before and after helping someone clean themselves, especially if they have been vomiting or having diarrhea
- After handling garbage
- After going to the bathroom
- After handling animals
- After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
Men who have been infected with Marburg virus should also use condoms for a year after recovery.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Marburg virus can be deadly, albeit rare. Travelers should exercise caution and avoid coming into contact with body fluids of other people as well as avoid contact with potentially infected animals, especially bats and monkeys.
Good personal hygiene, especially regularly washing your hands, is highly recommended for protecting yourself against Marburg or any other virus.
Travelers should also limit their exposure to infected individuals and animals.
If you find yourself with symptoms resembling Marburg virus, you should limit your contact with other people and promptly report your local healthcare authority.
About Pacific Prime
Pacific Prime is an insurance intermediary that aims to assist its clients in finding an insurance plan that is right for them.
Whether you are an expat looking for an insurance plan for yourself and your family or a corporate looking to find a group insurance plan for your employees, Pacific Prime works with multiple local insurers to ensure its clients find a policy that suits their needs and budgets in China.
Contact us today for free, no-obligation quotes and plan comparisons.
Disclaimer: Pacific Prime solely represents, operates and manages locally regulated insurance products and services in the territory of PR China. Any references to Pacific Prime Global Company or Group, the international services, insurance products or otherwise stated written or verbally, is for introduction purposes about our overseas network only as each entity is fully independent.
