People at risk of Marburg infection are those who come in contact with African monkeys and bats, researchers on these viruses are also at higher risk of becoming infected, African miners due to their exposure to bats. Veterinarians may also be at higher risk if they are exposed to African monkeys. Also, people who care for Marburg virus-infected patients and health workers who remove those bodies of deceased Marburg virus-infected patients are at high risk of contracting the disease.
Patients are given supportive hospital care by maintaining their fluid and electrolyte balance and other considerations, such as replacing lost blood and maintaining a good oxygen supply. This supportive care is most effectively done in an intensive-care hospital unit. Most individuals with Marburg virus infections are treated in hospitals in the intensive-care units. Specialists who treat the patient are critical-care specialists, hematologists, infectious-disease specialists, hospitalists, and lung specialists.
There is no antiviral drug or vaccine approved for use in humans against Marburg viruses. Preventive measures are based on barrier techniques (isolation techniques) that isolate the infected patient from other humans. Those health-care professionals who treat Marburg virus-infected patients must use barrier protections such as gowns, gloves, masks, and shoe coverings.
The prognosis for Marburg infection ranges from fair to poor. The fatality rate varies from about 23%-90%. Individuals cared for in an intensive-care unit have a better chance of survival. Complications that can occur with Marburg infection include the following: inflammation of the retinas of the eyes, inflammation of the testes,
liver inflammation, inflammation within the pigmented layer of the eye, inflammation of a segment of the spinal cord and brain inflammation.