'Bleeding Eye' Virus Sparks Travel Warning and Worldwide Concern — What Is the Incurable Disease?

Mar. 15, 2025

Stock image of the Marburg virus.Photo:Science Photo Library/Getty

Science Photo Library/Getty

A warning has been issued to travelers over the spread of three diseases, including theMarburgvirus. It’s a close cousin ofEbolathat’s been dubbed the “bleeding eye” virus due to one of its symptoms.

Marburg,Mpoxand Oropouch (commonly called“sloth fever”) are spreading in multiple countries, according to the UK Department of Health’s site,Travel Health Pro.

Marburg is a rare but “severe hemorrhagic fever that can cause serious illness and death,” theU.S. Centers for Disease Controlsays, adding that there is no treatment or vaccine for it. But, if detected early, supportive care with rehydration and symptomatic treatment improves survival, according to the Africa CDC.

Initial symptoms, the CDC says, include fever, chills, headaches, a rash with both flat and raised bumps, and sore throat. As theCleveland Clinicexplains, because it’s hemorrhagic, it “damages blood vessels and causes bleeding” — often from the eyes, nose, mouth, or vagina.

Stock image of the Marburg virus rash.Science Photo Library/Getty

There have been 66 illnesses and 15 deaths in Rwanda,according to the CDC, but many more may be infected. The CDC also says there are no known cases outside of Rwanda, and the risk of infection with this virus in the U.S. is low.

There are two kinds of viruses that spread Mpox, theCDCsays: Clade I and Clade II. Clade I is spreading in Africa, Canada, Europe — and on Nov. 15, the CDC says a case of Mpox wasidentified in Californiathat was connected to the outbreak in Africa.

Stock image of a medical worker in full PPE to protect against exposure to viruses.Getty

Getty

Symptoms include “sensitivity to light, dizziness, pain behind the eyes, nausea, vomiting, and rash,” the CDC says, while more serious disease includes meningitis, encephalitis, and bleeding.

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source: people.com