A deadly outbreak of the Marburg virus, also known as the “bleeding eye” virus, is spreading rapidly in Rwanda. The U.S. State Department and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are warning Americans against traveling to the country due to the high risk of infection.
Marburg virus disease is a rare and severe viral hemorrhagic fever that affects both humans and other primates, including monkeys and apes. It’s caused by an infection with orthomarburgviruses found in Egyptian rousette bats. The virus spreads through contact with blood and bodily fluids, as well as human-to-human transmission.
Symptoms of Marburg virus disease include influenza-like symptoms such as fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, rash, chest pain, sore throat, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. As the disease progresses, it can cause liver failure, delirium, shock, bleeding from the eyes, and multi-organ dysfunction.
Rwanda declared a Marburg virus outbreak in September, with 66 confirmed cases and 15 deaths reported as of October. The majority of cases are among healthcare workers at two health facilities. There is currently no specific treatment or widely available vaccine for Marburg virus disease.
To prevent infection, the CDC recommends avoiding contact with infected individuals’ blood and bodily fluids, handling items that may have come into contact with infected body fluids, and taking precautions when traveling to areas where Marburg virus is found. Dr. Thomas Russo and Dr. Amesh A. Adalja, infectious disease experts, stress that this is a regional disease and that the average American should not be concerned unless traveling to Rwanda.
Source: https://www.prevention.com/health/health-conditions/a63070264/marburg-bleeding-eye-virus-outbreak