Confirmed in Kabale District, Uganda and has killed 5 to date.
Seems to me to be similar to the Ebola outbreak we had a few months ago. As a fellow PCV put it, every day our lives become more and more similar to Matt Damon's character in Contagion. But not to worry folks, I don't plan on traveling to the southwest anytime soon, and as always, I'll try my best to avoid bats and strangers' bodily fluids.
Marburg Hemorrhagic Fever is a rare, severe type of hemorrhagic fever that affects both humans and non-human primates. A person suffering from Marburg presents with sudden onset of high fever with headache, chills and body aches. Around the fifth day after the onset of symptoms, a rash (most prominent on the chest, back or stomach) may occur. Nausea, vomiting, chest pain, a sore throat, abdominal pain, and diarrhea then may appear. Symptoms become increasingly severe and may include jaundice, inflammation of the pancreas, weight loss, delirium, shock, liver failure, massive hemorrhaging, and multi-organ dysfunction. Marburg disease may be spread through direct contact with body fluids like saliva, urine or blood of an infected person or the body of someone who has died from the disease. Since the virus spreads through direct contact with blood and other body secretions of an infected person, people living with and caring for Marburg patients are at a high risk of getting infected.
We advise that all Mission members, residing and traveling in southwest Uganda avoid contact with individuals exhibiting the symptoms described above until further information becomes available. To minimize the risk of contracting Marburg, avoid direct contact with body fluids (blood, saliva, vomit, urine, and stool) by wearing protective materials like gloves, masks and gowns. CDC also recommends avoiding exposure to primates, fruit bats and areas where fruit bats reside (caves, roosts and abandoned buildings).
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