Marburg virus disease

Marburg virus disease is a severe illness produced by Marburg virus and Ravn virus, both members of the Filoviridae family and the species Orthomarburgvirus marburgense ^[1][2][3]. It manifests as a severe viral haemorrhagic fever in humans and is clinically akin to Ebola disease despite differing viral causes ^[1][2]. The condition was first identified in 1967 during concurrent outbreaks linked to laboratory handling of imported African green monkeys ^[1][3].

Illness begins abruptly with high fever, severe headache, malaise, and prominent muscle aches, followed by watery diarrhoea, abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting around the third day ^[2][3]. A non-itchy rash may appear between two and seven days after symptom onset, and from roughly day five haemorrhagic signs emerge including blood in vomit or stool and bleeding from the nose, gums, vagina, or venepuncture sites ^[3]. The incubation interval spans two to 21 days, and severe manifestations can progress through generalized, early organ, and late organ or convalescent phases ^[3][4].

Marburg virus disease was first detected in 1967 through simultaneous outbreaks in Marburg and Frankfurt, Germany, and Belgrade, Serbia, associated with laboratory exposure to African green monkeys from Uganda ^[1][3]. Subsequent outbreaks and sporadic cases have occurred in Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda, with Rwanda reporting its inaugural outbreak in 2024 and Tanzania another in January 2025 ^[1][2][3]. The disease is uncommon but capable of causing outbreaks with high mortality, and in 2008 two travellers were infected after visiting a Ugandan cave housing Rousettus aegyptiacus bat colonies ^[1][3].

Initial human infection arises from prolonged contact with mines or caves occupied by Rousettus fruit bat colonies ^[1][3]. After entering the population, the virus transmits person-to-person through direct contact with broken skin or mucous membranes and with blood, secretions, organs, or other bodily fluids of infected individuals, as well as contaminated surfaces and materials such as bedding and clothing ^[1][3]. Healthcare workers have often been infected while treating patients when strict infection-control precautions were not applied ^[1].

Controlling outbreaks depends on community engagement together with case management, surveillance, contact tracing, reliable laboratory services, infection prevention and control in facilities, safe burials, and social mobilization ^[1]. Raising public awareness of risk factors and individual protective behaviours is an effective means to lower transmission, and risk-reduction messaging should address exposure to bat-inhabited caves or mines and close contact with infected persons or their fluids ^[1].

1. 1 World Health Organization. Marburg virus disease [Internet]. cited 23 Oct 2026. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/marburg-virus-disease
2. 2 World Health Organization. Marburg virus disease [Internet]. cited 23 Oct 2026. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/marburg-virus-disease
3. 3 World Health Organization. Marburg virus disease [Internet]. cited 23 Oct 2026. Available from: https://www.who.int/health-topics/marburg-virus-disease
4. 4 Asad A et al. Past and current advances in Marburg virus disease: a review. Infez Med. 2020 Sep 1. PMID: 32920568. PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32920568/