First Reported Outbreak Caused by Marburg Virus in Ethiopia | HAN

On November 14, 2025, the Ethiopian Ministry of Health declared an MVD outbreak in the country’s South Ethiopia Regional State. This is the first reported outbreak of MVD in Ethiopia. As of December 3, 2025, Ethiopia has reported 13 laboratory confirmed cases, eight of which were fatal, in the country’s South Ethiopia and Sidama regions. Additional cases may be retrospectively identified as the outbreak investigation progresses. Investigations are ongoing to determine timeline, transmission chains, and potential source of the outbreak.

Specimens collected from a cluster of patients with suspected viral hemorrhagic fever cases led to the confirmation of MVD by the National Reference Laboratory of the Ethiopian Public Health Institute. The Ethiopian Ministry of Health reported that genomic sequencing suggests this is the same strain of Marburg virus reported in previous outbreaks in other East African countries.

CDC is working with the Ethiopian health authorities to support the response to this outbreak, including providing technical expertise in surveillance, case investigation, contact tracing, laboratory testing, and response coordination.

The risk of spread to the United States is considered low as of December 3, 2025. As a precaution, CDC is working to increase awareness of the outbreak among U.S. travelers, public health agencies, laboratories, and healthcare professionals nationwide. It is important for clinicians to obtain a detailed travel history from patients with an acute febrile illness, especially those who have been in affected areas of Ethiopia recently, while also ruling out more common causes of febrile illnesses. Early consideration of MVD in the differential diagnosis is essential to ensuring timely isolation and implementation of other precautions, informing public health, and providing prompt and appropriate care and diagnostics.

Marburg virus disease

MVD is a rare but highly fatal viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF) caused by infection with one of two zoonotic viruses, Marburg virus or Ravn virus. Both Marburg virus and Ravn virus are within the virus family Filoviridae, which also includes Ebola virus.

The incubation period for MVD ranges from 2 to 21 days after exposure. A person infected with the Marburg virus is not considered contagious until after symptoms appear. Early “dry” symptoms include fever, aches, chest pains, and fatigue, and later “wet” symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, and unexplained bleeding. MVD is spread through contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with the body fluids (e.g., blood, urine, saliva, sweat, feces, vomit, breast milk, amniotic fluid, or semen) of a person who is sick with or has died from MVD. People can also contract MVD if they have contact with infected animals, or through contact with objects like needles contaminated with the virus. Marburg virus is not spread through airborne transmission.

There are currently no Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved vaccines or treatments for MVD; however, investigational vaccines and treatments are in development. In the absence of early diagnosis and appropriate supportive care, MVD has a mortality rate of 23%–90%, depending on the virus strain and the level of case management. With early intensive supportive care and fluid replacement, mortality rates might be lowered.

CDC has developed recommendations for U.S.-based organizations (e.g., nongovernmental, faith-based, academic, or aid organizations) with staff working in affected areas.