On Monday, October 7, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Level 3 notice to reconsider non-essential travel to the Republic of Rwanda due to an outbreak of Marburg virus disease (MVD) in several parts of the country. MVD is a rare but often fatal hemorrhagic fever for which there is no vaccine or treatment. To date, no confirmed cases of MVD related to this outbreak have been reported in the U.S. or other countries outside of the Republic of Rwanda. CDC has indicated that the risk of MVD in the United States is low. To further reduce the risk of U.S. cases, travelers returning from Rwanda will be screened at the airport for potential exposure and symptoms of illness, beginning on October 14.

Marburg is a virus that naturally occurs in fruit bats and is in the same family as the Ebola virus. It can spread from human to human when someone comes into contact with bodily fluids from a person who’s infected. People can also get sick after handling a patient’s clothing or bedding.

The CDC released a health advisory about the Marburg illness on October 3. Symptoms of Marburg can appear similar to other diseases and can include fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, rash, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. People infected with Marburg usually get sick between 2 and 21 days after exposure to the virus.

The CDC advises that individuals who are traveling to a region where Marburg is present take the following protective actions:

• Avoid contact with blood and other body fluids.
• Avoid materials that could be contaminated with blood or body fluids of people who are ill.
• Do not visit healthcare facilities for nonurgent medical care or nonmedical reasons.
• Avoid visiting traditional healers.
• Keep away from fruit bats and do not enter places where they live, such as caves or mines.

Get more information about this outbreak: Fact Sheet: HHS Actions to Support Response to Marburg Outbreak in Rwanda | HHS.gov.