
What is the deadly Marburg virus? Symptoms, causes and vaccines
By Harriet Barber
Marburg virus disease is an often fatal illness which causes hemorrhagic fever in humans.
It is closely related to Ebola and is typically spread by bats, which provide a natural reservoir for the virus.
Once in human populations, Marburg is spread person-to-person via droplets of blood, saliva, mucus and other bodily fluids.
The average fatality rate is around 50 per cent, with rates varying from 24 per cent to 88 per cent in past outbreaks depending on the strain of the virus and quality of medical care.
There is currently no vaccine for the virus.
What is the history of Marburg?
Marburg was first recognised in 1967, when outbreaks of haemorrhagic fever occurred simultaneously in laboratories in Marburg and Frank...