"Deadly outbreak of bleeding eye virus leads to travel advisory"

Question

An outbreak of Marburg virus — also known as “bleeding eye virus" — continues to grow in Rwanda, sparking concerns about a potential spread outside the country.

Answer 1

The claim that a bleeding eye virus has caused a travel advisory is true. According to the article provided, this is occurring in Rwanda where there has been a reported 66 cases and 15 deaths. Also included in the article is, the virus has many other symptoms aside of bleeding from the eyes. As of November 22nd, 2024, the U.S. Department of State said to "Exercise increased caution in Rwanda" (Rwanda Travel Advisory). This is the second level of travel advisory, essentially saying Rwanda is not a major threat currently to travelers from the United States. According to the US Department of State website, some countries with the same level of travel advisory are South Africa, Denmark, and Peru (Travel Advisories). In conclusion, it is true that a virus that causes eyes to bleed had lead to a travel advisory for the United States.

Source:

https://newsdetective.org/22897/deadly-outbreak-of-bleeding-eye-virus-leads-travel-advisory

Comments

This is a great fact check! I appreciate you using a reputable source that come from an official government site. To make your answer stronger, I recommend providing a link to the US Department of State website you referenced (especially since you paraphrased content from this source). I think this would allow for easier viewing and more reliability

Answer 2

This claim is true. Outbreaks of the bleeding eye virus (the marburg virus), were reported in September of 2024. You can find this information on the official CDC website.  The outbreak was reported to be over later in December.

https://www.cdc.gov/marburg/outbreaks/rwanda-2024.html#:~:text=Rwanda%20recorded%2066%20illnesses%20and,over%20on%20December%2020%2C%202024.

During this time there was also reported to be travel advisories as well, proving this claim correct. The official US embassy in Rwanda changed the travel advisory to level two in October 2024. https://rw.usembassy.gov/travel-advisory-travel-advisory-change-to-level-2-exercise-increase-caution/

This article also makes the claim that this is one of the most deadliest viruses to humans, which is partically true. This disease can be very deadly, but is preventable when caught early. 

​​https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/marburg-virus-disease

 

Comments

I agree with your claim Sophia! The virus is very dangerous and can cause 20-80% fatality  and can easily spread according to https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2024/marburg-virus-outbreak-in-rwanda. Rwanda actually first confirmed the outbreak on September 27, 2024 and issued the Level 3 Travel Advisory to travelers on October 7, 2024. The (CDC) dropped the level of caution on November 22, 2024 then officially on December 20, 2024 they declared the outbreak over and controlled. Your sources look good and the claim was proven well!

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The provided sources are great! I like that you provided sources that speak directly on the claims you discussed.

Answer 3

The claim that there has been a travel advisory is true. It started on November 22nd. Only 66 cases and 15 deaths have been reported in Rwanda, which makes the travel advisory seem like a little bit of an overreaction, in my opinion. The disease hasn't spread much, which is good because the mortality rate is about 50%.

Deadly outbreak of Marburg, or ‘bleeding eye virus,’ leads to travel advisory | Fox News

Answer 4

While the claim of an outbreak of Marburg Virus in Rwanda is true. However using lunges such as "Travel Advisory", and "concerns about a potential spread outside the country." implies is that a new pandemic is coming from Africa. The statistics in the article are correct however statistics can be manipulated to fit a certain narrative. The title of the article is clearly aimed for clicks and to spark a reaction. What the article fails to mention is that the Marburg virus has been around for decades with the earliest case going back to 1967. Meaning this is not the first time there was an outbreak from this virus. Not only that but the CDC concluded in December of 2024 that the outbreak in Rwanda was officially over. While the virus did spark a level of concern with WHO, this does not mean that there is global risk. Any virus outbreak is cause for concern, but using imagery of bats is clearly being used to spark a reaction. 

https://www.cdc.gov/marburg/outbreaks/rwanda-2024.html#:~:text=Rwanda%20recorded%2066%20illnesses%20and,over%20on%20December%2020%2C%202024

"CDC provided technical assistance and funding through cooperative agreements to the MOH and worked with the World Health Organization and other partners on the ground. Together with the MOH, CDC provided training on case investigation and contact tracing and supported infection prevention and control efforts, laboratory work, and data analysis and visualization. To ensure domestic preparedness, CDC assessed travelers returning from Rwanda for signs of Marburg and provided guidance to U.S. health departments and healthcare providers."

"Rwanda recorded 66 illnesses and 15 deaths from Marburg. The last known case tested negative for Marburg on November 8. The MOH declared the outbreak officially over on December 20, 2024."

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590170224000529

"Historically, the Marburg virus has caused outbreaks globally (Table 1), with numerous occurrences in Africa, where case fatality rates have varied widely depending on the availability of healthcare resources and speed of response (About Marburg Disease | Marburg Virus Disease | CDC, 2024, Sah et al., 2022). For instance, the 2023 outbreak in Tanzania resulted in nine confirmed cases and a 66 % fatality rate, while the Equatorial Guinea outbreak in the same year saw a staggering 88 % case fatality rate with 40 reported cases (About Marburg Disease | Marburg Virus Disease | CDC, 2024, Zaheer et al., 2024). In both instances, delayed recognition of the outbreak and limited healthcare infrastructure contributed to the high transmission rates and mortality. The current situation in Rwanda offers an opportunity to apply the lessons learned from these previous outbreaks, emphasizing the necessity of early detection, prompt isolation, and comprehensive contact tracing to prevent widespread transmission."

Answer 5

Claim: "Deadly outbreak of bleeding eye virus leads to travel advisory"

Statement:I found through some research that the claim that a bleeding eye virus is causing travel advisory is true. The U.S State department issued a travel advisory and issued travelers to practice increased caution because of the Marburg virus that is similar to Ebola and it is not an air born virus and does not mutate like covid but spreads through close contact, blood, and bodily fluids and secretions which can easily spread through west africa according to Dr. Mark Siegel on fox news. Rwanda confirmed its first outbreak on September 27, 2024, reporting 66 cases and 15 deaths and with a fatality percentage of 20-80% this virus is scary and I totally agree with the U.S state department that a travel advisory was needed to spread awareness to the disease. And in response the U.S Centers of Disease control and prevention (CDC) issued a level 3 travel advisory on Oct. 7, 2024 informing travelers to reconsider travel to Rwanda unless it was essential to do so, and on November 22, 2024 the CDC lowered the level of travel advisory to 2 advising increased caution until December 20, 2024 when the outbreak was declared over. The scary outbreak for the people in Rwanda and travelers has now been resolved and isn’t a hype topic and advisory has since been adjusted accordingly but all in all the claim was proven true. 

Sources:https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2024/marburg-virus-outbreak-in-rwanda

https://www.foxnews.com/health/deadly-outbreak-marburg-bleeding-eye-virus-leads-travel-advisory

Answer 6

This claim is in fact true. Fox News released an article stating the facts and risks of Marburg Virus, otherwise known as the 'bleeding eye virus'. Although some crucial details were left out. The Marburg Virus issued a 'travel advisory' November 22, 2024, and health screenings were active during this time when arriving and exiting Rwanda. They also left out the severity of the Virus, with the article comparing it to Ebola in a Fox News statement stating "similar to the Elbola virus, Marburg is a "rare but severe viral hemorrhagic fever" that is highly deadly, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It has a 20% to 90% fatality rate."