Marburg Outbreak in Rwanda and Implications for Santa Clara County Providers

To:

From:

All healthcare providers

Sara H. Cody, MD
Health Officer and Director

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a Health Advisory to inform clinicians about an outbreak of Marburg virus disease in Rwanda. The Republic of Rwanda is experiencing its first confirmed outbreak of Marburg with 56 illnesses and 12 deaths reported as of October 8, 2024. Marburg is a rare but severe hemorrhagic fever, similar to Ebola, that can cause serious illness and death. There is no approved vaccine.

No confirmed cases of Marburg related to this outbreak have been reported in the United States or other countries outside of the Republic of Rwanda to date. Currently, the risk of Marburg in the United States is low; however, clinicians should be aware of the potential for imported cases.

This report summarizes CDC’s recommendations for clinicians in the United States on case identification, testing and clinical laboratory biosafety considerations, hospital infection prevention and control measures, and isolation for healthcare workers returning from work in Rwanda.

To notify the County of Santa Clara Public Health Department of suspected Marburg virus disease exposure or infection, call:

1. Office hours (M-F 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.): Communicable Disease Prevention & Control (408) 885-4214
2. After hours: page the on-call Health Officer (408) 998-3438

Please see the full CDC Health Advisory here: emergency.cdc.gov/han/2024/han00517.asp.