April 6 (UPI) — Cases of the “highly fatal” Marburg virus illness, which might have a mortality price of between 23% and 90%, have been recorded in two African nations, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Thursday.

“Marburg virus disease is a rare but highly fatal viral hemorrhagic fever caused by two zoonotic viruses, Marburg virus and Ravn virus, that are closely related to ebolaviruses within family Filoviridae,” the CDC mentioned in the health advisory.

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The illness shouldn’t be contagious till signs seem, which might embody fever, headache, fatigue, muscle and joint ache, lack of urge for food and unexplained bleeding. It is unfold by means of contact with the blood or physique fluids of an contaminated individual. It shouldn’t be unfold by means of airborne transmission.

CDC officers mentioned that one case was recorded within the Central African nation of Equatorial Guinea in February whereas one other was recorded within the East African nation of Tanzania in March.

No instances have been reported within the United States or every other nation, although officers warned that there’s presently no vaccine or therapy authorized by the Food and Drug Administration.

“These outbreaks mark the first time that Marburg virus has been identified in either Equatorial Guinea or Tanzania, though the virus has been identified previously in neighboring countries and the reservoir, the Egyptian fruit bat, is known to be present in both countries,” the advisory reads.

Officials mentioned that early info means that the 2 instances are believed to have originated of their respective international locations with no proof suggesting that the outbreaks are linked. Experts are presently conducting viral genetic sequencing on the samples from the Tanzania case to check with Equatorial Guinea.

Health officers in Equatorial Guinea mentioned that the primary case got here after a “cluster of deaths” from a viral hemorrhagic fever had been reported in two villages within the district of Nsok-Nsomo in February. Samples had been collected from every of those that died and one was confirmed to have examined optimistic for the virus.

That affected person had introduced with fever, vomiting, bloody diarrhea, and convulsions and died the identical day, in line with the CDC.

“This patient appears to be epidemiologically linked to four deceased community members from one of the affected villages in NsokNsomo district,” the advisory reads.

A CDC-supported laboratory at an area hospital confirmed Wednesday that 14 instances have been recognized within the county and that 10 of these instances have been deadly.

“There are no known epidemiologic links between patients in one province, Centre Sur,” the advisory reads.

“This, taken together with the wide geographic spread of the outbreak within the country, suggests that there may be undetected community spread of the virus in the country.”

While the danger of MVD within the United States stays low, the CDC mentioned that clinicians “should be aware of the potential of imported cases.”

The last reported outbreak of MVD occurred in Ghana’s Ashanti area in 2022, with three instances and two deaths recorded.