US CDC warns of risk of Marburg virus spreading from Africa

In the US, the CDC issued the warning after Marburg virus outbreaks in Equatorial Guinea and Tanzania. As of April 7, the US has not recorded any cases of Marburg virus and no other country in the world has reported Marburg, but the CDC said it is still issuing the warning to "provide information about these outbreaks to raise awareness of the risk of disease spreading to the US".

On March 21, the Tanzanian Ministry of Health announced that eight fishermen had been infected with the Marburg virus, four of whom had died. In Equatorial Guinea, 14 cases of Marburg virus infection have been confirmed since February 7, and 10 of them have died. According to the CDC, there is currently no evidence that the two outbreaks in Tanzania and Equatorial Guinea are related and appear to be two separate outbreaks caused by the virus being transmitted from animals to humans. The CDC has sent staff to the two African countries to help fight the epidemic.

Marburg virus disease (MVD) is a rare disease caused by the Marburg virus. This virus is considered a "cousin" of the Ebola virus. Marburg virus can be transmitted from animals to humans, or from person to person through contact with infected blood or other body fluids, or by touching objects contaminated with such fluids. The incubation period for MVD, from exposure to the onset of symptoms, ranges from 2 to 21 days.

According to the CDC, people can only spread the disease to others when they have symptoms. Symptoms of MVD include fever, headache, fatigue, muscle and joint pain, loss of appetite, gastrointestinal symptoms, or unexplained bleeding. MVD can cause serious complications such as internal bleeding or organ damage.

The CDC notes that it can be difficult to diagnose MVD, with many of the signs and symptoms of MVD resembling those of other infectious diseases, such as malaria or typhoid fever, or viral hemorrhagic fevers that may be prevalent locally, such as Lassa fever or Ebola. This is especially true if there is only one case. There is no specific treatment for MVD, with doctors focusing on supportive measures such as maintaining electrolyte balance, oxygen levels, and blood pressure.

The CDC assesses that the risk of MVD spreading to the United States remains low, but recommends that doctors test anyone who has symptoms or may have been exposed to the virus in an outbreak area. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), previous outbreaks of MVD have had case fatality rates ranging from 24% to 88%, with an average of 50%.

According to VNA