Marburg virus outbreak: a global health threat, zoonotic risks, and the urgent need for international action.

Abstract

Bats, the archaic natural reservoir hosting a plethora of viruses, are rather a "Pandora's Box" and that has been opened. The recent SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has demonstrated the importance of global data sharing and international cooperation for health research. Recent Marburg virus (MARV) outbreaks have put West Africa on alert, and this calls for immediate attention from all travelers and globetrotters, as the situation is alarming. MARV is an enveloped virus with unsegmented negative-sense RNA as its genome, which belongs to the family of Filoviridae in the order Mononegavirales. MARV is a virus of zoonotic origin that can transmit from its natural reservoir in bats to primarily infect other hosts such as C. aethiops or humans. Marburg virus disease (Marburg/MVD) was first noted on the African continent in Uganda beginning in 1967, and subsequently, hemorrhagic fever outbreaks occurred in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, Marburg, and Frankfurt laboratories in 1968. Several preclinical evaluations for the Marburg virus vaccine, including vesicular stomatitis virus or adenoviral vectors, DNA, virus-like replicons, inactivated viruses, and combinatorial modalities, are under trial. However, due to the absence of a vaccine, it is imperative for policymakers and medical professionals to collaborate on developing effective safety and prevention protocols to curb the spread of the Marburg virus and control the ongoing outbreak. This situation underscores the need for proactive measures, timely responses, and international coordination to prevent further health crises linked to zoonotic viruses.