Situation Report: Marburg Outbreak in Equatorial Guinea

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First Outbreak of Marburg in Equatorial Guinea

On February 13, 2023, Equatorial Guinea reported its first outbreak of Marburg virus disease (MVD). The outbreak is in the Kié-Ntem region, which borders Cameroon and Gabon, in the north of Equatorial Guinea. Nine people with symptoms consistent with MVD have died, and one tested positive for the virus. An additional 16 suspected cases are being investigated. Read the press release from the World Health Organization.

Caring for Patients with MVD

Marburg was first identified in 1967 and is a rare but severe hemorrhagic fever which affects both people and non-human primates. It is in the same family of virus as Ebola. The signs and symptoms (CDC, https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/marburg/symptoms/index.html, Accessed 2/20/2023) are similar to Ebola with the case-fatality rate for MVD being between 23-90 percent. Clinical care, infection prevention and control and other response measures (such as the need for safe burials) are similar to Ebola. There are no authorized vaccines or specific treatments for Marburg but there are a handful of candidate vaccines and experimental treatments that may be tested in clinical trials if the outbreak continues. 

Recommendations for Health Care Workers in the U.S.

There are no suspected cases of MVD in the United States and the risk of international spread is low. Health care professionals should always screen patients for symptoms consistent with viral hemorrhagic fever (CDC, https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/abroad/assessing-vhf-returning-traveler.html, Accessed 2/20/2023) and travel to countries experiencing outbreaks (CDC, https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/marburg/outbreaks/distribution-map.html, Accessed 2/20/2023).