Introduction
Ebola virus, also called Ebola hemorrhagic fever, is a fatal and rare disease caused by the Ebola virus. The virus affects humans and non-human primates such as gorillas, chimpanzees, and monkeys. Marburg disease is a hemorrhagic fever that is caused by the Marburg virus. This fever affects non-human primates and humans same as the Ebola virus. The two viruses originate from the same family of filovirus.
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of the research study is to identify the comparison between Marburg and Ebola virus with respect to their epidemiology, etiology, and symptoms.
Importance of the Topic to Public Health
Ebola and Marburg virus are very deadly viruses that result in significant outbreaks with high fatalities. These viruses have been underestimated in the current society because their outbreaks have been experienced in a few parts of the world. However, the number of fatalities experienced in those areas is very high. It is imperative to note the two viruses and incorporate further research to identify possible measures to prevent an outbreak. Also, whenever there is an outbreak, the public should identify the symptoms so that containment measures can be taken to avoid the further spread of the disease.
Study Design
To identify the comparison between Ebola and Marburg virus, the researcher makes use of a literature review. Many researchers have described the two viruses from different perspectives but with the same outcomes.
Literature Review
The Ebola virus was first reported in 1976 in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Sudan. Since 2000, the number of cases of the Ebola virus in Africa has significantly increased, making it among the major viruses in Africa. Marburg virus was first reported in 1967 in Serbia, Belgrade, and Germany (Ndjoyi-Mbiguino et al., 2020; Kortepeter et al., 2020). In Africa, the first case was reported in Uganda, which resulted from human contact with imported green monkeys’ human tissues. The Ebola virus is mainly distributed in West Africa, Spain, Thailand, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States (Wolfe et al., 2020). Marburg virus is mainly distributed in Germany, DRC, Angola, and Uganda (Jacob et al., 2020).
Ebola affects people of any age, with more than 80% affecting adults between 21 and 60. Occupations with a high risk of Ebola virus infection include laboratory technicians, nurses, and physician assistants (Kellerborg et al., 2020). Marburg virus also affects individuals of all ages, with high cases in adults because they are physically active (Pawęska et al., 2018). With the Marburg virus, the population at a higher risk are family members and hospital staff (Ristanović et al., 2020). The Ebola virus has no cure, and therefore prevention and control methods are significant. Prevention and control include the setup of quarantine zones for the infected people. Social distancing is substantial in preventing the further spread of the Ebola virus (Burki, 2020). Prevention and control of the Marburg virus are similar to the Ebola virus, with an additional focus on avoiding sick non-human primates and fruit bats.
The primary Etiology of the Ebola virus is not yet known by scientists. It is believed that the Ebola virus results from the fluids and tissues of infected non-human primates and bats. Ebola virus transmission is through human-animal contact, especially during the consumption or hunting of infected non-human primates (Arcos González et al., 2020). Similar to the Ebola virus, the Marburg virus leading cause is not identified. Ebola symptoms include muscle pain, fatigue, sore throat, fever, headache, vomiting, rash, kidney and liver impairment, and diarrhea. Symptoms of the Marburg virus include nausea, abdominal pain, chest pain, jaundice, shock, pancreas and liver failure, vomiting, and massive hemorrhage (Becker et al., 2018).
References
Arcos González, P., Fernández Camporro, Á., Eriksson, A., & Alonso Llada, C. (2020). The epidemiological presentation pattern of Ebola virus disease outbreaks: Changes from 1976 to 2019. Prehospital and Disaster Medicine, 35(3), 247-253.
Becker, S., Feldmann, H., Geisbert, T., & Kawaoka, Y. (2018). Marburg and Ebola viruses – marking 50 years since their discovery. The Journal of Infectious Diseases, 218(suppl_5), Si-Si.
Burki, T. (2020). Ebola virus disease in DR Congo. The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 20(4), 418-419.
Jacob, S., Crozier, I., Fischer, W., Hewlett, A., Kraft, C., & Vega, M. et al. (2020). Ebola virus disease. Nature Reviews Disease Primers, 6(1).
Kellerborg, K., Brouwer, W., & van Baal, P. (2020). Costs and benefits of early response in the Ebola virus disease outbreak in Sierra Leone. Cost Effectiveness and Resource Allocation, 18(1).
Kortepeter, M., Dierberg, K., Shenoy, E., & Cieslak, T. (2020). Marburg virus disease: A summary for clinicians. International Journal of Infectious Diseases, 99, 233-242.
Ndjoyi-Mbiguino, A., Zoa-Assoumou, S., Mourembou, G., & Ennaji, M. (2020). Ebola and Marburg Virus: A brief review. Emerging and Reemerging Viral Pathogens, 201-218.
Pawęska, J., Jansen van Vuren, P., Kemp, A., Storm, N., Grobbelaar, A., & Wiley, M. et al. (2018). Marburg virus Infection in Egyptian rousette bats, South Africa, 2013–20141. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 24(6), 1134-1137.
Ristanović, E., Kokoškov, N., Crozier, I., Kuhn, J., & Gligić, A. (2020). A forgotten episode of Marburg virus disease: Belgrade, Yugoslavia, 1967. Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews, 84(2).
Wolfe, D., Taylor, M., & Zarrabian, A. (2020). Lessons learned from Zaire ebolavirus to help address urgent needs for vaccines against Sudan ebolavirus and Marburg virus. Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics, 16(11), 2855-2860.