The Africa Centers for Disease Control (Africa CDC) and World Health Organization (W.H.O.) on Friday confirmed an outbreak in Ethiopia of the lethal Marburg virus, a pathogen with symptoms similar to the infamous Ebola virus, but even more deadly and difficult to treat.
W.H.O. Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who hails from Ethiopia, confirmed on Friday that at least nine cases have been detected in the Marburg virus outbreak.
W.H.O. said it was the first time the Marburg Virus Disease (MVD) has been detected in Ethiopia. A previous outbreak occurred in Tanzania in March, and in Rwanda last December – the first time MVD has been detected in the latter country.
The statement from W.H.O. stressed that MVD can spread quickly if containment procedures are not followed, and there are no vaccines at present, although patients can survive if they receive the correct treatment quickly:
Marburg virus disease is a severe and often fatal illness caused by the Marburg virus. The disease is transmitted to humans from fruit bats and spreads among people through direct contact with bodily fluids of infected individuals or contaminated materials.
Initial symptoms include high fever, severe headache, muscle aches and fatigue. Many patients develop severe bleeding within a week of onset. Although several promising candidate medical countermeasures are currently undergoing clinical trials, there is no licensed therapeutic or vaccine for effective management or prevention of Marburg virus disease. However, early access to supportive treatment and care – rehydration with oral or intravenous fluids – and treatment of specific symptoms, improve survival.
The mortality rate from MVD can range as high as 88 percent if patients are not treated quickly. One of the obstacles to speedy treatment is that MVD is often misdiagnosed as a less deadly infection with similar symptoms in its early stages, such as malaria or typhoid fever.
Rwanda launched expedited clinical trials of an experimental vaccine for the Marburg virus during its outbreak in December 2024. The vaccine was developed by the Sabin Vaccine Institute and tested by the Texas Biomedical Research Institute before it was deployed to Rwanda.
Africa CDC was alerted to a possible outbreak by Ethiopian officials on Wednesday, and said the National Reference Laboratory in Ethiopia confirmed multiple infections on Friday. Africa CDC credited Ethiopian health authorities with acting quickly to contain the spread of the disease.
Colorized scanning electron micrograph of Marburg virus particles (purple) both budding and attached to the surface of an infected VERO E6 cell (green). (NIH-NIAID/Image Point FR/BSIP/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
“Further epidemiological investigations and laboratory analyses are underway and the virus strain detected shows similarities to those previously identified in East Africa,” Africa CDC said.
Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya said the outbreak in Ethiopia was especially worrying because “South Sudan isn’t far, and has a fragile health system.”
The Ethiopian Public Health Institute issued a statement on Monday that said three of the patients “have died from the virus,” and three more recent fatalities may have been caused by MVD infections.
The health ministry added that 129 people who were in contact with the infected patients have been isolated and will be monitored closely for signs of infection.
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