Marburg Virus Disease
Page originally published 11/19/2024.
Marburg virus disease (Marburg) is a rare, severe hemorrhagic (bleeding or bruising) fever that affects both people and other primates, like apes or monkeys. The disease can lead to serious illness or death.
Marburg is naturally found in Egyptian fruit bats (rousette) and can spread from bats to people. The virus is most commonly found in sub-Saharan Africa, and has been reported in Rwanda, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Republic of Tanzania.
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- Avoid contact with blood and bodily fluids (such as saliva, vomit, urine, semen, breast milk, and sweat) of people who are sick.
- Avoid contact with any objects (such as bedding or needles) contaminated with blood or bodily fluids.
- Use condoms, or do not have sex with a person who is recovering from Marburg disease, until tests confirm that the virus is not in the semen. Even if a person feels better, the virus can live in semen for a long time, up to seven weeks.
- Avoid contact with Egyptian fruit bats (rousette) and non-human primates, such as apes and monkeys, if in areas where Marburg is found.
- If you are
a healthcare worker:
- Practice strict infection control measures, such as use of personal protective equipment (gowns, masks, goggles, and gloves).
- Properly use and disinfect instruments and equipment used to treat or care for patients with Marburg virus disease.
Marburg virus is spread from infected Egyptian fruit bats to people. The virus is found in the saliva, urine, and feces (poop) of infected bats. Once someone is infected and showing symptoms, they can spread the disease to other people.
Someone can get Marburg virus if they have had contact (such as through broken skin or mucous membranes in the eyes, nose, or mouth) with:
- Body fluids of a person who is sick with, or died from, Marburg.
- Objects contaminated with their fluids like clothes, bedding, needles, and equipment.
- Semen from a man who has recovered from infection with Marburg, until testing confirms absence of virus.
Those most at risk for Marburg include:
- People in contact with Egyptian fruit bats or their saliva, urine, and feces.
- People caring for individuals sick with the disease, if they do not wear proper protective equipment.
- People in contact with infected, non-human primates, such as apes and monkeys.
People with Marburg usually start getting sick 2 - 21 days after they were infected with the virus. Marburg virus is a serious, deadly disease. Between 20-90% of people with the disease will die.
Marburg symptoms include:
- Fever;
- Chills;
- Aches and pains, such as severe headache, chest, muscle and joint pain, and stomach pain;
- Skin rash with both flat and raised bumps, often on the torso (chest and stomach);
- Sore throat; and
- Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
As the disease advances, symptoms can become more severe. This includes liver failure, delirium (acute mental disturbance), shock, bleeding (hemorrhaging), and multi-organ dysfunction.
If you think you may have Marburg virus disease, talk with your healthcare provider. Your healthcare provider may:
- Ask about your signs and symptoms,
- Ask if you traveled out of the county and/or were in contact with bats or infected animals, and
- Run some laboratory tests.
There are no antiviral medicines available to treat Marburg virus. Antibiotics do not treat viruses. Supportive care which includes rest, fluids, managing oxygen status and blood pressure, and treating secondary infections is the only treatment. In severe cases, patients may need to be hospitalized.
Local
- California Health Alert Network (CAHAN) San Diego Communications
Federal
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- World Health Organization (WHO)
Call the Epidemiology Unit at (619) 692-8499, or send an e-mail, for more information.
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