Marburg virus disease (MVD) Overview, explanations and all you need to know

Marburg virus disease (MVD) is a rare but severe and often fatal viral hemorrhagic fever that affects humans and nonhuman primates. It belongs to the same family (Filoviridae) as the Ebola virus. The disease is currently making headlines due to recent outbreaks in Africa, most notably in Ethiopia in November 2025.

Marburg Virus Disease (MVD) Transmission:

The virus is primarily transmitted to humans from Rousettus fruit bats, often through prolonged exposure in mines or caves. Human-to-human transmission occurs via direct contact with the blood, secretions, organs, or other bodily fluids of infected people, or with contaminated surfaces and materials (e.g., bedding, clothing, needles).

Marburg Virus Disease (MVD) Symptoms:

Symptoms appear suddenly 2 to 21 days after exposure and include high fever, severe headache, and muscle aches. This is often followed by severe watery diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. Many patients develop severe hemorrhagic manifestations, including internal and external bleeding, around day 5 to 7 of the illness.

Marburg Virus Disease (MVD) Fatality Rate

The average case fatality rate is around 50%, but has varied from 24% to 88% in past outbreaks, depending on the strain and the quality of case management.

Marburg Virus Disease (MVD) Treatment and Prevention:

There are currently no approved vaccines or specific antiviral treatments for MVD. Treatment is limited to supportive care, such as rehydration with intravenous fluids or oral rehydration, and management of specific symptoms, which improves survival rates. Prevention focuses on avoiding contact with infected bats and sick individuals, using protective equipment when caring for patients, and practicing safe burial procedures.

Marburg virus disease (MVD) Story and Origins:

The story of this sickness began in the year 1967. It was not found first in the jungles of Africa, but in the cities of Europe. In a town called Marburg in Germany, in Frankfurt, and in the city of Belgrade, men and women who worked in laboratories fell ill. They had been working with green monkeys that had been brought from Uganda. The sickness spread from the monkeys to the workers, and thirty-one people were struck down. Seven of them died. Because it was first seen in that German city, the world gave it the name "Marburg."

This virus is a tiny thing, too small for the eye to see without strong glass. It belongs to a family of viruses known as Filoviridae. This name comes from a word that means "thread," for when the wise men look at the virus, it looks like a twisted piece of string or a shepherd’s crook. It is the older brother of the Ebola virus. Though they are two different things, they act in much the same way. They are both fierce, and they both bring the bleeding sickness.

The virus does not live naturally in man. It has a home in the wild, hiding within the body of a creature of the night. This creature is the African fruit bat, known to those who study animals as Rousettus aegyptiacus.

These bats live in great numbers in the dark caves and the deep mines of the earth. It is a strange mystery of nature that the virus lives inside the bat, yet the bat does not sicken and die. The bat carries the virus as a vessel, moving through the night, eating fruit, and leaving its waste in the caves.

How Marburg Virus Disease (MVD) Sickness Passes to Man

The trouble begins when the world of men and the world of the bats meet. A man may go into a mine to dig for gold or coal, or a traveler may enter a cave to see the wonders of the rocks. In these dark places, the air may be filled with the dust of the bats' droppings, or the man may touch the walls where the bats have rested. In this way, the virus jumps from the animal to the man. This is the first step, the spillover, where the sickness enters the village of men.

Once the virus has found a home in one human being, it becomes a great danger to others. It does not fly through the air like the wind or the dust of the common cold. It travels through touch and through the fluids of the body. The blood, the sweat, the tears, the vomit, and the waste of a sick person are all filled with the virus.

If a mother cares for her sick son and wipes the sweat from his face with her bare hand, the sickness may enter her. If a brother carries his sick sister and touches her blood, he too may fall ill. Even the clothes the sick person wears and the sheets they sleep on carry the danger. If these things are not washed with fire or strong medicine, they can pass the sickness to those who handle them.

This is why the sickness often takes whole families. In their love, they care for one another, and in their caring, they share the disease. It is also a great danger to the doctors and nurses who try to help. If they do not cover themselves with special clothes from head to foot, or if a needle slips and pricks their skin, the virus will enter their blood.

Signs of the Suffering of the Marburg Virus Disease (MVD)

When the virus enters a person, it is silent for a time. This time of waiting may last for two days, or it may last for as many as twenty-one days. The person may feel well, not knowing that the enemy is already within the gates. But when the sickness wakes, it strikes suddenly.

It begins with a high fever. The body becomes hot, and a severe headache seizes the person. The muscles ache as if they have been beaten with sticks, and the chills run through the body. The person becomes very weak, unable to stand or work.

On the third day, the sickness moves to the stomach. The person suffers from great pain in the belly. There is severe watery diarrhea that does not stop, causing the water of life to drain from the body. Nausea comes upon them, and they vomit. At this time, the face of the sick person changes. The eyes sink deep into the skull, the expression becomes empty and still, and the skin is drawn tight. Those who have seen it say the person looks like a ghost while they are yet alive.

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The Marburg Virus and the Time of Bleeding

For many who are struck by this disease, a terrible thing happens between the fifth and the seventh day. This is the sign of the hemorrhagic fever. The blood, which is meant to stay within the veins to give life, begins to flow where it should not.

The person may bleed from the nose or the gums of the mouth. If the doctors have put a needle in the arm to give medicine, the blood may flow from the puncture and not stop. There may be blood in the vomit or in the waste from the bowels. The virus attacks the liver and the other organs that keep the blood pure. The body loses its power to make the blood clot.

During this time, the fever remains high. The mind may become confused. The sick person may become angry or afraid, shouting out or not knowing their own family. This is because the sickness has touched the brain. It is a time of great darkness for the patient.

The death rate of this disease is heavy. On average, half of the people who catch the Marburg virus will die. In some outbreaks of the past, where the medicines were few and the virus was strong, nearly nine out of every ten people died. In other places, where care was good, more survived. It is a battle between the strength of the body and the strength of the virus.

The people often ask, "Is there a cure? Is there a medicine that can drive this spirit out?" The truth is hard to accept. At this time, there is no specific medicine that kills the Marburg virus. There is no pill that can stop it instantly. There is also no vaccine approved to prevent it before it starts, though the wise men of science are working day and night to create one.

But this does not mean there is no hope. There is help. The most important thing is to keep the body strong so it can fight the enemy. Because the sick person loses so much water through fever and sickness of the stomach, the healers must put water and salt back into the body. They do this by giving fluids through a vein or by giving special water to drink.

They also treat the pain and the fever. They watch over the blood pressure and help the person breathe if the lungs are tired. This support is like holding up the arms of a warrior in battle. If the body is supported well, and if the care begins early, the person has a much better chance to live. Those who survive recover slowly. The virus leaves the body very tired, and the muscles may ache for a long time, but the life is saved.

Since the medicine to cure the disease is not yet here, the best way to fight the Marburg virus is to stop it from spreading. This requires wisdom and discipline from all the people.

First, the people must be careful of the bats. Men should not enter the caves where the fruit bats sleep unless it is necessary. If they must work in the mines, they should wear masks and clothes that cover their skin, so they do not touch the dust or the waste of the bats.

Second, if the sickness appears in a village or a town, the people must not touch the sick with bare hands. If a family member falls ill, they must be taken to a place of healing where they can be cared for safely. The caregivers must wear gloves and masks. The clothes and bedding of the sick must be washed with great care, using heat or bleach to kill the virus.

Third, there is a hard law concerning those who have died. When a person dies of Marburg, the virus does not die with them immediately. It remains alive and dangerous in the body. In many lands, it is the custom to wash the body of the dead and to touch them in farewell. But with this disease, such customs bring death to the living. The dead must be buried quickly and safely by those who are trained to do so without touching the body. To show love to the dead in this way is to protect the lives of the living.

The History of the Plagues

Since the first days in Germany, the Marburg virus has appeared many times, mostly in the lands of Africa. In the year 2005, a great outbreak occurred in Angola. It was a time of great sorrow, for hundreds of people lost their lives. The sickness was spread in the hospitals because the needles were not clean and the protective clothes were few. It was a hard lesson for the world.

The virus has also been seen in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in Kenya, and in Uganda. Each time it appears, the health workers and the governments rush to stop it, like firefighters rushing to put out a flame before it burns down the forest.

And now, in these recent times, the fire has sparked again. The news travels from nation to nation that the Marburg virus is once again among us. It serves as a warning that the world must always be ready. We must share the knowledge of how to stay safe, we must support those who are working to find a cure, and we must show compassion to those who are suffering.

The Marburg virus is a formidable foe, ancient in its origin but terrifying in its arrival. Yet, with knowledge, caution, and the proper care, the spread can be stopped, and lives can be saved. It is a test of our ability to care for one another by keeping our distance when necessary and by offering support where it is needed most.

Marburg virus disease (MVD) Outbreaks Across Countries:

Marburg outbreaks have primarily occurred in sub-Saharan Africa. In the last few years, outbreaks have been reported in:

Ethiopia: Confirmed its first-ever outbreak in November 2025.

Rwanda: Experienced an outbreak in late 2024.

Tanzania: Had outbreaks in March 2023 and January 2025.

Equatorial Guinea: Reported its first outbreak in February 2023.

Ghana: Declared its first outbreak in July 2022.