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10/04/2024: Lab Advisory: CDC Issues Alert for First Marburg Virus Disease Outbreak in the Republic of Rwanda
Audience: Clinical Laboratory Professionals
Level: Laboratory Advisory
On October 3, 2024, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Health Alert Network (HAN) Health Advisory about the confirmed outbreak of Marburg virus disease (MVD) in the Republic of Rwanda. As of October 2, 2024, 36 laboratory-confirmed cases and 11 deaths have been reported in the Republic of Rwanda, including at least 19 cases among healthcare workers. No confirmed cases of MVD 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 MVD in the United States is low. MVD is similar to other illnesses associated with viral hemorrhagic fevers (VHFs), such as Ebola virus disease.
Clinicians with concerns about MVD or other VHF infection as a differential diagnosis of their patient’s illness should contact their jurisdictional health department immediately (via the 24-hour Epi-On-Call contact list) and follow jurisdictional protocols.
Laboratory testing to monitor the patient’s symptoms and diagnostic testing for other potential causes of the patient’s illness can be safely performed while testing for MVD or other VHFs. Clinical laboratories can safely perform routine diagnostic testing for patients with suspected MVD by following Standard Precautions for All Patient Care and Universal Precautions for Preventing Transmission of Bloodborne Infections.
If a facility does not have the appropriate risk mitigation capabilities, coordinate specimen forwarding to another facility that does using appropriate packing and shipping requirements.
Please review the HAN for more information including recommendations for clinicians, public health departments, clinical laboratory professionals, healthcare workers returning from Rwanda, and the public.
We encourage you to share this message widely with your network(s).
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Online Resources
- About Marburg Disease | CDC
- About Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers (VHFs) | CDC
- First Marburg Virus Disease Outbreak in the Republic of Rwanda | HAN
- Laboratory Testing for Patients with a Suspected VHF or High-Consequence Disease | CDC
- Guidance on Performing Routine Diagnostic Testing for Patients with Suspected VHFs or Other High-Consequence Disease | CDC
- VHF Specimen Collection | Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers (VHFs) | CDC
- VHF Clinical Specimen Packaging and Shipping | CDC
- Standard Precautions for All Patient Care | Infection Control | CDC
- 1910.1030 – Bloodborne pathogens. | Occupational Safety and Health Administration (osha.gov)
- Bloodborne Infectious Diseases Risk Factors | Healthcare Workers | CDC
- After Hours/Epi-on-Call Contact Lists | CSTE
Questions?
- If you are a clinical or public health laboratory professional, contact LOCS.
- For media inquiries, contact the CDC Newsroom.
- For all other questions, contact CDC-INFO.
Laboratory Outreach Communication System | Division of Laboratory Systems (DLS)
Office of Laboratory Systems and Response (OLSR)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)