CDC to send troops to fight deadly Marburg virus in Africa

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By Kathryn Donlevy

April 1, 2023 | 10:09 p.m

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is sending personnel to Africa to help combat an outbreak of a rare, deadly virus that has killed 12 people since February.

Marburg — a viral hemorrhagic fever — has never been reported in Guinea or Tanzania, and cases have been on the rise in the past few weeks, the World Health Organization said.

The CDC warns that Marburg It is “a rare and deadly disease” that can be spread by contaminated materials and animals such as fruit bats and primates.

Symptoms include fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, rash, sore throat, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, chest pain, and unexplained bleeding or bruising.

“Marburg virus infection is often fatal. There are no approved vaccines or treatments for Marburg,” the agency warns.

The agency is sending its National Center for Outbreaks and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases to two regions on opposite sides of the country where the disease is spreading.

The CDC also plans to issue notices at international airports warning of symptoms of the disease.

While the CDC has not implemented any travel restrictions, the WHO warns against “any travel and trade restrictions” with Guinea or Tanzania.

The disease was first reported in Guinea February 7 – Equatorial Guinea’s Ministry of Health and Social Welfare reveals eight deaths in two separate villages in one day.

The agency reported 20 possible cases and one additional death as of March 21.

Since March 16, Tanzania – on the opposite side of Africa – has reported eight cases, including five deaths from Marburg.

The first case identified in Tanzania brought the virus to his village after traveling from Kosiba Island in Lake Victoria in another part of the country. WHO said.

It is not clear how Marburg entered either country.