Is the Marburg virus outbreak in Equatorial Guinea the next pandemic?

WHO is investigating a Marburg virus outbreak in Equatorial Guinea; sending experts, providing resources, and establishing local lab facilities to identify the source and control the spread.

O n 7 February 2023, the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in Equatorial Guinea reported that eight people had died in two villages in the Kie-Ntem district.

Symptoms included fever, weakness, vomiting, diarrhoea and skin lesions. Samples were sent to the Centre Interdisciplinaire de Recherches Médicales de Franceville (CIRMF) and Institute Pasteur in Dakar, Senegal, for testing. On 10 February, a case tested positive for Marburg virus in Dakar. As of 21 February, nine cases have occurred, with all deaths occurring either in a health facility or the community. None were healthcare workers, and 34 contacts are still being monitored.

Marburg virus disease (MVD) is a potentially fatal illness caused by the Marburg virus, with a case fatality rate of up to 88%. It was first discovered in 1967 in Germany, Serbia and Belgrade, and is believed to be passed from Rousettus aegyptiacus fruit bats to humans.