Marburg Virus in Angola

On the cover of the New York Times today, there is an article entitled, "Stalking a Deadly Virus, Battling a Town's Fears. Briefly, it says that this virus has killed 9 out of 10 people infected, with a death toll at 230, to date. Apparently the virus is so contagious it can spread via blood, vomit, semen and other bodily fluids to the eyes, nose, mouth and ultimately the bloodstream. Once there, it moves like lightning into the white blood cells which are integral to the immune system. According to the article, on day 3, there are fewer than 200 viruses in one drop of blood, increasing to 5 million by day 8. Most people who are getting infected are health care workers trying to heal those who are ill.

When I first learned of the deadly virus, I studied the method by which it spread, the symptoms and the death toll and I immediately thought of the Ebola virus. Indeed, Ebola is exactly the virus which experts are comparing Marburg to.