11/19/2025
Ethiopia has confirmed an outbreak of Marburg virus disease (MVD), a severe viral hemorrhagic illness related to Ebola. Since November 12, 2025, this MVD outbreak has involved 9 cases and 3 deaths, currently centered in Jinka within the South Ethiopia Region bordering South Sudan. Although this is Ethiopia’s first MVD outbreak, the virus involved is consistent with strains previously seen in eastern Africa.
While the likelihood of MVD being imported to countries outside of Africa is low, sporadic international travel-related cases are possible, and such events are unpredictable. Given the seriousness of the disease, healthcare facilities should ensure they are prepared to rapidly recognize and isolate a suspected case. MVD preparedness includes having clear processes for screening individuals with relevant symptoms or exposure history, promptly initiating appropriate transmission-based precautions, and maintaining robust environmental disinfection practices. A list of MVD symptoms can be found here: https://www.cdc.gov/marburg/about/index.html.
Infection prevention teams are encouraged to establish or revisit their facility’s MVD readiness plans now.
The APIC Emerging Infectious Diseases Task Force has developed a detailed MVD Playbook to support this work, available here: https://apic.org/marburg/
