Ethiopia Marburg Outbreak

Last updated: December 22, 2025

On November 14, 2025, Ethiopia confirmed its first-ever Marburg virus outbreak. The disease emerged in Jinka town, South Omo Zone, near the South Sudan border, and has since spread to Hawassa in the Sidama region.

What is Marburg?

Marburg virus disease is a severe hemorrhagic fever similar to Ebola. It spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids of infected people or contaminated surfaces. The virus originates from Egyptian fruit bats, which inhabit southern Ethiopia.

Symptoms appear 2-21 days after infection and include:

• Sudden high fever and severe headache
• Muscle pain and weakness
• Watery diarrhea, nausea, vomiting
• In severe cases: bleeding, shock, organ failure

Without treatment, the fatality rate can reach 88%. Early supportive care significantly improves survival.

Current Situation

As of December 15, 2025:

• 14 laboratory-confirmed cases
• 9 deaths (6 confirmed cases, 3 epidemiologically linked)
• 4 recoveries
• 2 patients receiving treatment
• Healthcare workers among those infected

Why This Matters

Ethiopia is already managing multiple concurrent health crises: cholera, measles, and dengue outbreaks stretch the country's health capacity. Adding a high-fatality hemorrhagic fever requires substantial additional resources.

Several factors increase transmission risk:

• Unsupervised traditional burials (contact with bodies spreads the virus)
• Healthcare worker infections suggest gaps in infection control
• South Omo Zone borders South Sudan

Response

Ethiopia's Ministry of Health is leading the response with support from WHO and the US CDC, which has deployed 8 emergency responders. Efforts focus on:

• Contact tracing and surveillance
• Infection control in healthcare facilities
• Safe burial practices
• Community education
• Laboratory testing capacity

For Travelers

The CDC assesses risk to US travelers as low but recommends:

• Avoid contact with sick people and bodily fluids
• Do not handle items that may have contacted an infected person
• Avoid fruit bat habitats (caves, mines)
• Practice standard hygiene