Marburg virus kills 11 in Rwanda. What to know about the Ebola-like outbreak and symptoms

Eleven people have died in Rwanda from the highly contagious Marburg virus, and 36 cases have been confirmed, the country’s health ministry reported Tuesday, just days after the country declared an outbreak of the deadly hemorrhagic fever that has no authorized vaccine or treatment.

“Marburg is a rare disease,” health minister Sabin Nsanzimana said Sunday. “We are intensifying contact tracing and testing to help stop the spread.”

He said the source of the disease has not been determined yet.

Previous Marburg cases and outbreaks have been recorded in Tanzania, Equatorial Guinea, Angola, Congo, Kenya, South Africa, Uganda and Ghana, according to the World Health Organization.

Here’s what else to know about the disease. 

What causes Marburg virus?

Like Ebola, the Marburg virus originates in fruit bats. It can spread between people through close contact with the bodily fluids of infected individuals or with surfaces, such as contaminated bed sheets, clothing, needles or medical equipment.

The World Health Organization notes that Marburg virus does not spread through the air.

The rare virus was first identified in 1967 after it caused simultaneous outbreaks of disease in laboratories in Marburg, Germany, and Belgrade, Serbia. Seven people died who were exposed to the virus while conducting research on monkeys.

Marburg virus symptoms

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, symptoms of Marburg virus include:

• fever
• chills
• headache
• muscle pain
• rash
• chest pain
• sore throat
• diarrhea
• vomiting
• stomach pain
• unexplained bleeding or bruising

“In later stages of the disease, bleeding from various sites such as the gums, nose and anus can occur. Patients can suffer shock, delirium and organ failure,” WHO says.

Without treatment, Marburg can be fatal in up to 88% of people who fall ill with the disease. There are currently no approved vaccines or treatments specifically for this virus. 

A person infected with the virus can take between three days and three weeks to show symptoms, Nsanzimana added.