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A severe, highly fatal virus called Marburg has infected and killed three people in Uganda. While that’s a small number of infections, any cases of Marburg are cause for concern given the virus’ high fatality rates and similarities to the deadly Ebola virus. Here’s what you should know.
What is Marburg virus?
The Marburg virus got its name after two large outbreaks occurred in 1967 in Marburg and Frankfurt in Germany, and in Belgrade, Serbia. The disease is rare, and was last reported in Uganda in 2014 when one health worker was infected. Marburg comes from the same family of viruses as Ebola, and both of the viruses can cause large outbreaks. The fatality rate from Marburg can range from 24% to 88%. So far all the people who have been confirmed to have the virus in the recent outbreak have died. It’s believed that fruit bats are the natural hosts of the virus, and people pass it to one another through direct contact with bodily fluids.
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