Photo Illustration by Erin O’Flynn/The Daily Beast/Getty Images
For the first time ever, there are simultaneous separate outbreaks of the Marburg virus, a highly lethal pathogen that’s closely related to the Ebola virus.
The overlapping outbreaks in Equatorial Guinea and Tanzania are an ominous sign. The deadly virus, which causes hemorrhages that kill up to 85 percent of infected people, is endemic in bats and spreads through direct contact between animals and people, and people and people.
There’ve been no fewer than 15 Marburg outbreaks since scientists identified the virus back in 1967. But they’re getting more frequent as human populations grow in the regions where the virus’ animal hosts also live. Simultaneous outbreaks represent a kind of tipping point. Looking ahead, outbreaks could get even more frequent—and deadlier.