Clinicians should consult the Arkansas Department of Health at 501-661-2351 (8:00-4:30, Monday-Friday) or 1-800-554-5738 (After hours and on weekends) if Marburg is suspected or a consult is needed.
Marburg virus disease (MVD) is a rare, severe viral hemorrhagic fever caused by the Marburg virus or Ravn virus. Marburg belongs to the same family as the Ebola, Filoviridae, and are clinically similar. Symptoms can appear suddenly and may include fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, rash, chest pain, sore throat, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Advanced disease can include liver failure, delirium, shock, bleeding, and multi-organ dysfunction. The incubation period ranges from 2 to 21 days. Diagnostic tests can include PCR, IgM-capture ELISA, antigen-capture ELISA, and virus isolation in high-contaminant laboratories.
Fatalities can occur, between 20% to 90% of people with MVD will die.
Marburg virus can be spread from infected Egyptian rousette bats to people or people can be infected if they have contact with 1) body fluids of a person who is sick or died from MVD, 2) objects contaminated with body fluids of a person who is sick or died from MVD, or 3) semen from a man who recovered from MVD.
Currently, treatment for MVD is supportive care.
To prevent MVD:
- Avoid contact with blood and body fluids of people who are sick with MVD;
- Avoid contact with semen from someone who recovered from MVD until testing shows there is no virus in the semen;
- Do not handle items that may have been in contact with a MVD patient’s body fluids, and
- Avoid contact with Egyptian rousette bats and non-human primates in areas where Marburg is found.
Public
- Marburg Virus Disease | Marburg | CDC
- About Marburg | Marburg | CDC
- History of Marburg Outbreaks | Marburg | CDC
- Marburg Resources | Marburg | CDC
- Traveling to the United States from Rwanda | Marburg | CDC
Healthcare Providers
- Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers (VHFs)
- Guide for Clinicians Evaluating an Ill Person for VHF or Other High-Consequence Disease
- Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers (VHFs) | CDC
- Guidance on Performing Routine Diagnostic Testing for Patients with Suspected VHFs or Other High-Consequence Disease | Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers (VHFs) | CDC
- Clinical Screening and Diagnosis for VHFs | Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers (VHFs) | CDC
- Communicable Disease Reporting form for Arkansas Department of Health
- Preventing MVD from Entering Your Healthcare Facility | Marburg | CDC
- Healthcare Worker and Inpatient Monitoring | Marburg virus disease | CDC
- Injection Safety | Marburg virus disease | CDC
- Environmental Cleaning and Waste Management | Marburg | CDC
- Hand Hygiene | Marburg virus disease | CDC
- PPE Part 1: What, When, and Why to Use PPE | Marburg virus disease | CDC
- PPE Part 2: Putting on and Taking Off PPE | Marburg virus disease | CDC
- Preparing Your Facility for Identification of Potential MVD Patients | Marburg virus disease | CDC
- Creating an Isolation Area in Your Facility | Marburg virus disease | CDC
- Reprocessing Medical Equipment and PPE | Marburg virus disease | CDC
- Waste Management Part 1: The Waste Management Process | Marburg virus disease | CDC
- Waste Management Part 2: Final Waste Disposal | Marburg virus disease | CDC
- Environmental Cleaning and Disinfection | Marburg | CDC
- Facilitating Hand Hygiene | Marburg virus disease | CDC
- Traveling to the United States from Rwanda | Marburg | CDC
Laboratories
- Laboratory Resources: Marburg Virus Disease
- Bloodborne Pathogens Standard
- Collection and Transport of Specimens Suspected to Contain Special Pathogens
- Packaging and Shipping Evaluation Tool
- VHF Specimen Collection | Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers (VHFs) | CDC
- VHF Clinical Specimen Packaging and Shipping | Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers (VHFs) | CDC
- Packaging Specifics
- Biosafety Level 3 Laboratories Biosafety Cabinet Practices
- Department of Transportation Hazardous Materials Regulations Title 49