Situation Report: Update on the Marburg Virus Disease Outbreak in Equatorial Guinea

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MVD Outbreaks in Equatorial Guinea and Tanzania

On April 15, 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) released an update on the Marburg virus disease (or MVD) outbreak in Equatorial Guinea. There have been 15 confirmed and 23 suspect cases since the declaration of the outbreak on February 13, 2023. [Update as of publishing: the number of confirmed cases has risen to 16] The case fatality rate among confirmed cases is 78.6 percent; all suspect cases were fatal. The concurrent outbreak in Tanzania stands at eight confirmed cases, with five deaths, as of April 4. There are no known epidemiological links between these two outbreaks.

Public Health Risk Assessment

Currently, the WHO has assessed the public health risk posed by the outbreak in Equatorial Guinea as very high at the national level, high at the sub-regional level, moderate at the regional level, and low at the global level. While it’s unlikely that health care workers in the United States will encounter a patient suspected of being infected with MVD, it’s important to implement the identify, isolate, and inform strategy early, to prevent the spread of any infectious disease. Learn more about infection prevention and control measures for MVD.

Vaccines and Treatments for MVD

Although no vaccines or antiviral treatments are approved for MVD, on April 4, 2023, the WHO published its recommendations on four candidate vaccines for possible use in a ring vaccination trial. Efforts to organize vaccine deployment are underway. Additionally, a monoclonal antibody therapy may be used, which has shown promise in non-human primate studies.