CDC Issues Health Advisory Following the Republic of Rwanda’s First Outbreak of Marburg Virus Disease
The CDC's Health Advisory concerning the outbreak of Marburg virus disease in Rwanda includes clinical laboratory biosafety considerations and recommendations for public health departments
On October 2, 2024, the Republic of Rwanda confirmed its first outbreak of Marburg virus disease (MVD) with 36 laboratory-confirmed cases and 11 deaths (31 percent case fatality rate), including 19 cases in healthcare workers largely working in intensive care units or ICUs.
Currently, there is no FDA-approved vaccine or treatment for MVD, which has a high mortality rate of up to 90 percent in certain cases.
On October 3, 2024 at 12:15 pm ET, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Health Alert Network Health Advisory about the outbreak for clinicians and US health departments to stay vigilant of potential imported cases of MVD. The CDC stated that there have been no confirmed related cases of MVD in the US, and that “the risk of MVD in the United States is low.”
The CDC Health Advisory reported that to date, several of the cases have no link to known chains of transmission, suggesting that there may be additional cases that have so far gone undetected or unreported as part of the outbreak. There are currently about 300 contacts to confirmed cases that are being monitored in Rwanda.
According to the Health Advisory, “Investigations are ongoing to determine timeline, transmission chains, and potential source of the outbreak.” On October 3, 2024, the CDC issued interim recommendations for public health management of US-based HCPs who were present in a healthcare facility in Rwanda in the previous 21 days.
The CDC summarized its recommendations for public health departments and clinicians in the US on case identification and testing and clinical laboratory biosafety considerations.
CDC recommendations for clinical laboratory biosafety |
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CDC recommendations for public health departments |
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