Rapid Message Testing With Consumer Panel - Medical Countermeasure Messages

FOR TESTING PURPOSES ONLY:
This is NOT a real emergency
A case of Marburg hemorrhagic fever has been reported in your neighborhood. Not everyone in
your neighborhood will be affected by this case of Marburg hemorrhagic fever.
The Food and Drug Administration is working with the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention and other federal, state, and local agencies and health departments to provide you
accurate information about this emergency. We will provide you with additional information as
it becomes available.
Below is some information about how to know if you or your family members should seek
medical attention and how to reduce your risk of getting Marburg hemorrhagic fever.
How is Marburg hemorrhagic fever treated?
•

Currently there is no FDA-approved medication to treat Marburg hemorrhagic fever.

•

Professional medical care is needed to manage the symptoms and complications from
the Marburg virus.

•

Managing symptoms early increases the likelihood of surviving Marburg hemorrhagic
fever.

How do I know if I need treatment?
•

Marburg hemorrhagic fever is contagious. It can only be spread from one person to
another by contact with body fluids from an infected person or through objects that
have been contaminated with these fluids. Body fluids include blood, saliva, sweat,
stool (feces), urine, tears and breast milk.

•

The Marburg virus is not known to spread through the air.

•

Listen to official public health announcements on TV, radio, or the Internet for
information about what to do and where to go for care.

•

Contact your local health department, a health care professional or go to an emergency
room right away If you think you have been exposed to someone with Marburg
hemorrhagic fever or to contaminated objects even if you do not feel ill. Officials may
also set up emergency centers where people who may have been exposed to the
Marburg virus can get checked.

•

Limit your contact with other people after exposure to the Marburg virus until you can
reach a health care facility.

•

After exposure to the Marburg virus, do not travel anywhere except to a health care
facility.

FOR TESTING PURPOSES ONLY:
This is NOT a real emergency
What are the symptoms of exposure to Marburg hemorrhagic fever that I should look for?
•

If not managed early, symptoms of Marburg hemorrhagic fever can get increasingly
worse and become life-threatening.
o

Initial symptoms of exposure to Marburg hemorrhagic fever start suddenly and
are frequently similar to the symptoms of a serious case of the flu.

o

Early symptoms of Marburg hemorrhagic fever include fever, chills, headache,
muscle aches and possibly a rash. Nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, a sore
throat, chest pain and diarrhea may then appear.

o

These symptoms can develop into yellowing of the skin, severe bleeding, shock,
and failure of organs throughout the body.

•

Early symptoms of exposure to Marburg hemorrhagic fever usually start to appear 5 to
10 days after exposure.

•

Seek medical care immediately after exposure to the Marburg virus if you develop any
of these symptoms.

•

More information about the symptoms of exposure to Marburg hemorrhagic fever can
be found at https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/marburg

How do I reduce the risk of getting Marburg hemorrhagic fever?
•

Avoid contact with the body fluids of a person infected with Marburg hemorrhagic fever
or from objects that have come in contact with these fluids. The Marburg virus is not
known to spread through the air.
•

Body fluids can include blood, saliva, sweat, stool (feces), urine, tears or breast
milk.

•

Wash your hands often with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds (about the
time it takes to hum the Happy Birthday song twice) to reduce spreading the Marburg
virus to other people.

•

Avoid kissing others or sharing glasses or utensils.

Where can I find more information?
For more information about Marburg hemorrhagic fever, visit or call:
• The Food and Drug Administration Marburg Virus Response Update web page at
www.fda.gov/marburg
• The Department of Health and Human Service’s website at http://www.hhs.gov
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) website at
https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/marburg or call: 1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636)