How can I recognise Marburg virus disease?

The first symptoms are usually:

• headache
• muscle pain
• nausea
• high fever

As the illness gets worse, people also have:

• vomiting and/or diarrhoea
• internal bleeding

Some people get better again within two weeks. Most people get much worse. If that happens, they could die. More than half of the people who get this disease do not survive. The incubation period between exposure and illness is 2 to 21 days. On average, it takes 9 days to develop symptoms.

How does Marburg virus disease spread?

A person with Marburg virus disease is contagious. The virus is found in their bodily fluids. That includes: 

• blood
• saliva
• vomit
• urine or stool material (poo)
• sweat
• semen or vaginal fluid

A person with Marburg virus disease can infect other people through contact with these bodily fluids. The virus may also still be present on the body of a person who died from Marburg virus disease. 

People are not contagious until they have symptoms. A person who has no symptoms cannot pass the virus to others. 

Wild animals in Africa can also have the virus. A person can get the virus by slaughtering or eating wild animals (bushmeat) that are ill. It is not possible to get the virus through coughing or sneezing. 

How can I prevent Marburg virus disease? 

A person in the Netherlands is very unlikely to get Marburg virus disease. There are very few outbreaks of Marburg virus disease worldwide. A person can only get the disease after direct contact with people or animals infected with the Marburg virus. 

Are you planning a trip to an area where the Marburg virus is present? Check the latest travel advisories posted online (in Dutch) by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Coordination Centre for Travellers Advice (LCR) in Dutch). 

Tips for travellers

Will you be travelling in an area where the Marburg virus is present? Always follow the instructions and recommendations provided by local authorities. Also follow the recommendations below: 

• Avoid contact with people who have Marburg virus disease and their bodily fluids. This also applies to people who died from Marburg virus disease.
• Avoid contact with people who have relevant symptoms, such as fever, muscle pain or skin rash. 
• Avoid visiting healthcare facilities in areas where the Marburg virus is present for nonurgent medical care or non-medical reasons
• Avoid funeral rites involving physical contact with the person who died.
• Avoid contact with patient materials that may be contaminated, such as hypodermic needles, clothing, sheets, or eating utensils.
• Avoid contact with bats, and try not to visit caves or mines where bats live.
• Avoid contact with other wild animals, living or dead (such as apes, monkeys or forest antelopes).
• Do not eat raw meat (bushmeat).

If you get flu-like symptoms within 2 to 21 days of returning from a Marburg area, contact your GP by phone and tell them about your illness and the region where you were travelling. The GP can consult with your local Municipal Public Health Service (GGD).

Is Marburg virus disease treatable?

There is no medicine or vaccine against Marburg virus disease. People who have the virus need special medical care. More than half of those who get the disease do not survive. To prevent the Marburg virus from spreading, it is important to quickly identify and separate (isolate) Marburg patients. This is done to prevent other people from being exposed to the virus. Marburg patients receive care and treatment in a special isolation ward in a hospital. The people working there follow strict precautions to avoid getting the virus too. 

People who have had direct contact with a patient are monitored for some time to see if they become ill. If they also develop Marburg virus disease, they are immediately admitted to hospital and receive care in an isolation ward. 

How common is Marburg virus disease?

The disease is very rare. Over the past 50 years, there have been reports of outbreaks every now and then. At the end of September 2024, the World Health Organization (WHO) stated that dozens of people in Rwanda had the Marburg virus. RIVM is monitoring the current situation.