October 4, 2024 11:07 AM

What is Marburg virus, and how worrying is it?

Rwanda is battling its first-ever outbreak of the deadly Marburg virus, with 36 cases reported so far and 11 deaths. The World Health Organization said this week the risk of the outbreak is very high in Rwanda, high across the African region, and low globally. What is Marburg virus? Marburg is a virus from the same family as Ebola. It causes a haemorrhagic fever and has an average fatality rate of 50%, according to the WHO, although rates have been as high as 88% in previous outbreaks. Early ...